


Soul Fusion

by Kiadi



Series: Fusion [2]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Damsels in Distress, F/M, Magical Accidents, Magical Artifacts, Mystery, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Rituals, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 01:50:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 81,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7133669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiadi/pseuds/Kiadi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magical Fusion Sequel - After performing the ceremony in Nullin, Xellos finds himself linked to Amelia and Zel. Now he's desperate to severe the tie. Seems there was more to Fusion than even Xellos realized.</p>
<p>(Originally posted on Fanfiction.net in 2011.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Collision Course

"Come out, come out, Llygad-san," Xellos called, casually flying through the air. He was on the edge of the Desert of Destruction, searching the sandy dunes for his prey. "I know you're here. You can't hide forever."

He was currently on a minor assignment for his master, the Dark Lord Beastmaster Zelas, but it could wait. He had stumbled upon an unexpected find, and he figured it was worth a small amount of his valuable time to capture her. After all, one of his many duties was to catch the occasional rogue Mazoku. And he'd been hunting this one for several centuries.

He stopped briefly, gazing around despite his eyes being consistently closed. He had a mischievous grin on his face, like he was playing the child's game of Hide and Seek. This was no game, however. His intentions were much more sinister.

"Shall I read you your rights, Llygad-san?" He waved a finger in the air, still twisting around as he searched. His lavender hair, cut in a page-boy style, whipped around him in the windy desert, along with his long, black cloak. He wore a loose-fitting tan shirt tied with an equally tan sash and black, loose-fitting pants. He had a leather satchel slung over his neck and shoulder, and he held a mage staff in his right hand; a crooked dark-wood staff with a large red jewel sitting between the split in the branches.

"Llygad-san!" His voice had a soft, sing-song quality to it, playful and roguish. "I'm here to place you under arrest for treason against the Mazoku race. You actually have no rights, but if you come quietly I promise to make your death a quick and painless one."

He stopped turning, his eyes shooting open suddenly. He sneered triumphantly as he spun around in mid-air, blasting a nearby dune with a dark spell. "GOTCHA!"

A cloud of sand billowed high into the air, but the figure fleeing from it did not escape the priest's notice. "Oh, still running, Llygad-san? Why not come play?"

He charged in the direction of the fleeing form. She was extremely fast, but Xellos was not worried about catching her. Speed meant little to him when he could travel through the Astral Plane at will.

Anyone who saw the woman Xellos was chasing would know instantly what she was, even though no two Mazoku looked alike. She had no legs, but instead a long, serpentine body from the waist down. Her tail ended in a wicked-looking pinecone-shaped mace. Her skin was bluish-white, lined with black markings, and was rubbery and shiny like that of a dolphin or shark. Her two unnaturally long arms ended in hands with equally long fingers, each tipped with needle-like claws.

You'd also think she had no eyes at all, till you took a closer look at her medusa-style 'hair.' Each of the dozen or so stalks ended in a single, large red eye. These eyes darted in every direction as she continued to flee.

"You know you can't get away." She could hear Xellos taunting her, his mocking smile coming through clearly in his voice. "I'm going to catch you!"

He instantly appeared in front of her, and she screamed, trying desperately to stop her acceleration. She failed, and hit Xellos' shield with a loud smack that sent her reeling backwards.

"You may as well give up, Llygad-san." He vanished again, and her eye stalks danced around desperately trying to find him. "Although, I must admit, chasing you is a lot of fun."

She screamed in rage and her eyestalks began to glow with a reddish light. Bright magical energy began shooting from every eye in every direction around her. She spun frantically, shooting the air, the ground, the dunes, anything she could see, letting clouds of sand billow all around her.

Xellos merely grinned as he watched her from the Astral Plane. Normally she could have followed him there, but he had used his magic to keep her trapped in the Physical Plane. She was much easier to catch and control that way.

She could hear the musical tone of teleportation just behind her, but she was too slow to react. In one swift motion, Xellos had gathered all of her eyestalks into one hand, and had his staff to her throat.

"Well that was a lot of fun, Llygad-san," he whispered into her "ear." "But my masters are eager to see you tried for your crimes. You've caused us a great deal of trouble for a long time."

Xellos squeezed her eyestalks, evoking a painful scream from the Mazoku as one of them ripped loose. "Not sure how you have kept yourself hidden for so long, but I'm afraid it doesn't look good for y…"

Xellos stopped, and Llygad could feel his body start to tremble. To her surprise, he suddenly released her "hair," giving her head free movement again. She shoved his staff aside easily as she rushed out of his reach.

Normally she would have fled and not looked back, but curiosity forced her to stop to see what had happened. There she found Xellos, curled up, his hands to his head as though in agony.

"What…what is this?" Xellos gasped. He sank to the ground, unable to keep himself suspended.

Llygad didn't answer him. She could only gape in wonder at this sudden turn of events. She certainly hadn't done anything to him. So what could possibly take down the most powerful…?

Then one of her eyestalks caught a glimpse of it. Despite the white gloves Xellos wore, her Mazoku eyes saw that his right hand carried a mark on his ring finger. A black mark, weaved with gold and white.

She suddenly began to laugh, speaking in a distorted voice, "Xellos you fool." She snickered at him. "That mark! You performed Fusion, didn't you? You _fool_!"

With Xellos weakened, his spell trapping her in the physical plane was lifted. She vanished from sight, her mocking laughter echoing behind her. Xellos, helpless and confused, was powerless to stop her.

The eyestalk he had ripped from Llygad had dropped to the ground next to him in the desert sand. Xellos crumbled to the ground, curling himself up into a ball while still holding his head. It was as though he were being smothered in the most horrible sensation imaginable, from his head to his gut.

And he simply didn't know why or how.

* * *

Amelia patted her white mare on the head, stroking her nose lovingly. The horse affectionately pushed into her hand, and Amelia wrapped her arms around the mare's neck in a hug.

She'd had this horse for years, her own White Justice. Her father gave her the mare four years ago, just before her trip to Xoana. And now, she was going to give her away.

"You sure you want to do this, Amelia?" Zelgadis watched the princess curiously, leaning against a tree nearby.

The family they had run into merely watched, not saying a word. The three of them, a salt-and-pepper haired, middle-aged man, his dark-haired teenage son, and his elderly mother, were traveling back from Seyruun. It didn't take a genius to realize when you watched them that the elderly woman could barely walk on her own.

They had come to Seyruun, the White Magic Capital, to have her treated for her illness, only to find that her condition was incurable. They were now traveling home again to the Elmekian city of Minca, where the elderly woman wished to live her remaining years and be buried.

"It's a long journey, Zelgadis-san," Amelia answered him. "It would not be just to allow an old, sick woman to walk all that way on her own."

With her head held high, Amelia took the reigns of White Justice and brought her over to the family. The two men helped their elderly mother/grandmother onto the horse while Amelia held the mare steady.

"Thank you so much, Your Highness." The woman spoke in a kind, shaky voice.

The older man turned to Amelia. "I will be coming back this way in a year's time on merchant business. I promise I will return your mare to you."

"Don't worry too much about it," Amelia said, smiling. She was going to miss her horse dearly, but the joy she felt in doing a good and just deed trumped all.

Amelia watched as the family walked away, her beloved horse trotting casually along, unburdened by the weight of the small woman on her back.

Zelgadis walked over to stand next to the princess, who was still watching the family leave, a small tear forming in her eye. She glanced over at her traveling companion and smiled at him.

He wore the same outfit he'd been wearing for years, a tan outfit that covered almost every inch of his body, if he so chose. This included finger-less gloves, a hooded cloak, and a cloth mask. He was not wearing the hood or mask right now, letting his face show.

Zelgadis had once been a normal human, but he wasn't anymore, thanks to the famous but malevolent sage Rezo. Because of Zelgadis' desire for greater strength, he was transformed into a chimera, a combination of a human, rock golem, and brau demon. The transformation had given him the strength he desired, but had also given him a very inhuman appearance.

Zelgadis' stone-skin was a grayish blue, covered periodically with smooth black pebbles. The most notable were the ones lining his chin, jaw, and both eyes. His ears were long and pointed like an elf's, and his "hair" was made up silver wires instead of actual hair.

The chimera looked back at the princess. "I guess you are going to be traveling on foot from here on." The family had now disappeared into the dense surrounding forest, despite the well-worn trail.

"That's okay." Amelia's smile grew wider. "I got rather tired of riding while you walked. I prefer not to be looking down at you all the time."

"Yes, because heaven knows you'll have plenty of opportunity to look down at me in Seyruun, Your Highness." Zelgadis grinned.

Amelia glowered at him. "What? I will not!" She stopped glowering briefly when she noticed the smile on Zelgadis' face, and instead she became annoyed. "Oh you! When did you become such a tease?"

Amelia blushed sweetly and turned away, smiling, which made her look all the more adorable. She certainly had the beauty of a princess, with large, blue eyes and shoulder length ebony hair. When Zelgadis had first met Amelia five years ago, she was rather short. But she had grown over the years till she was only an inch or two shorter than he. Zelgadis still wasn't used to her being able to look at him directly without having to look up.

Having grown out of her old white traveling outfit, she now wore a navy blue shirt and leggings covered by a pure white tunic. She had a thick belt that further accentuated her small waist and full, womanly figure. She also wore a diamond-shaped cape and white boots to match the tunic.

She had a new, more recent feature, too. She lifted up her left hand, gazing at the black, gold, and white mark that had appeared on her ring finger after the Magical Fusion ceremony. The mark was black, _red,_ and white when she first got it, but the red had faded from orange to gold over time.

She had tried not to worry too much about the mark, as it seemed completely harmless. Her first thought was that it came from the Magical Fusion rings burning her finger, although a _Recovery_ spell had done nothing to it. Not only that, but Zelgadis had a similar mark, on his right hand, and he hadn't even worn a ring during the ceremony.

Amelia blushed again. The fact that they both shared the same mark almost made them look like they were wearing wedding bands, and Amelia couldn't help but smile at the thought.

She continued to stare at her hand as she addressed her companion. "I guess we'll never be able to forget about our adventures in Nullin, will we?"

He frowned as he looked at her. "Personally, I'll take the scars over the alternative. It's certainly better than dying."

"Zelgadis-san?" She looked up at the chimera curiously. "Do you think Xellos got this scar too? We all performed the ceremony together."

Zelgadis shook his head. "I doubt it. Mazoku don't have physical bodies like ours, so I'm pretty sure they don't get scars."

"Yea, that's probably true." She shook the thoughts away, putting her hand down at her side and out of sight. "Well anyway, we should keep going. We're half-way home, and I just can't wait to see Daddy again."

She grabbed hold of Zelgadis' hand, dragging him along behind her. He went along willingly, finding he wanted to get to Seyruun almost as much as she did. He'd been living in Nuulin for over a year now, and it would be nice to finally have a new place to call home.

* * *

On top of a cliff face overlooking a man-made ravine, Xellos gazed down at the couple heading into it. They were mere specs on the ground from his vantage point, but he knew who they were. Seems the two of them were making very good time, and would probably arrive in Seyruun in just another week or two.

Their sudden rush was not too much of a concern. He had already planted the seeds of rumor in Seyruun, and the other couple coming from the other side of the ravine would be running into them any time now.

He need only wait patiently before making his next move. It was just as well. He needed to make a few preparations first. Wouldn't do to have one of his embarrassing "attacks" while speaking to them.

* * *

The mountains of Cemoria created a semi-border between the nations of Elmekia and Seyruun. The mountains were treacherous and inaccessible, with the exception of a long, man-made pass that had been created by the combined magical efforts of both kingdoms. This ravine created a single trail through the mountains, several miles long and wide enough to allow 10 carriages to travel side by side and still have room to maneuver. It made it possible to go straight from one country to another without having to go around the mountain range.

At this time, however, there were only two travelers, on foot, inside the ravine. They had just come from Seyruun and were just about to enter the Elmekian side of the mountain range. A tall, blonde warrior and a petite, red-headed sorceress.

"Geez, you'd think Amelia would have had the decency to be home when we traveled all this way just to meet her!" Lina Inverse grumbled to her companion.

The sorceress was very slim, and not all that tall, with a mane of long, fiery red hair that came down to her backside. It was obvious she was a sorceress from the complexity of her outfit. Her tunic and pants were mostly red, save for a strap of yellowish cloth covering her small chest. She wore a long, billowing, gold-trimmed cloak held by two large black shoulder-guards. She had red jewels attached to her shoulder-guards, wrists, neck, and waist.

Her companion, Gourry Gabriev, smiled sheepishly as he looked down at Lina with bright blue eyes. "Well, Phil did say she had important business in that town of what-cha-ma-call-it. Can we really expect Amelia to wait up for us when she doesn't even know we're coming?"

Gourry towered over Lina, who barely came up to his chin. He was a muscular man with a mane of blonde hair that was even longer than Lina's. He wore a blue shirt and matching pants, with black plates of armor covering his shoulders, chest, and hips. He had black boots and black, fingerless gloves to match his armor, and what appeared to be a simple sword strapped to his back.

"Of course we can, Gourry," Lina glared at her traveling companion. "And she's going to be real sorry when she realizes she missed her chance to say hi to me again."

"Yea, so, um, Lina?" Gourry asked. It's the way he always started a question when he was about to ask something he'd been told before, and Lina braced herself. "Why are we going this way again?"

"Ugh! Gourry you were there when we talked to the guy at the inn, don'tcha remember?"

The warrior shook his head, and Lina groaned. "Gourry, rumors abound in Seyruun that there was a merchant train full of people and treasure that went missing in this ravine. We're going this way to lay claim to the treasu…I mean rescue the merchants!"

"Oh, right." He smiled, satisfied with the answer.

"I wouldn't be going this way otherwise, Gourry. I wanted to head to the Coastal States to secure a ship to the outerworld. This ravine is in the exact opposite direction of where we wanted to go. Only country in this direction is Elmikia.

"Besides that," she continued, "this ravine is supposed to make travel easier, but it also makes it easier to be ambushed."

Lina gazed up at the steep cliff faces all around them, keeping her eyes peeled for attack. "Of course, what really irritates me is that I haven't seen a single sign of a wagon anywhere. I'm convinced at this point that that whole rumor was just that, a stupid rumor."

The sorceress growled, making a punching action with her fists. "I out to go back to that damn innkeeper and give him hell for wasting our time like thi…"

"Hey, Lina! Look over there."

The sorceress looked in the direction that Gourry was pointing, her face lighting up. "What? Do you see them? Do you see the merchants?"

There were no wagons in that direction. There were, however two figures coming into sight, almost running towards them.

"Oh man, I knew this ravine would be troub…" Lina stopped as the two figures came rapidly closer, and could swear they looked very familiar. "Wait. Is that…?"

The approaching couple didn't seem to have noticed Lina and Gourry yet, as one was very intent on speaking to her companion excitedly and rapidly. Her voice was very familiar one.

"Once we get to Seyruun, I'm going to give Daddy the biggest Pacifist Hug you ever did see. Then we go around town, enjoy some soft-serve ice-cream, go to the park and enjoy the…the…"

Amelia was looking at Zelgadis, and noticed his expression change to surprise as he looked forward. She stopped as well, looking in the same direction. As soon as the couple came close enough to recognize the traveling sorceress and warrior, they both stopped, not believing their eyes. Lina and Gourry, who had already stopped, looked back with equal surprise, staring at them.

A brief wind picked up, blowing a tumbleweed past both of the shocked couples. It seemed like an eternity before Amelia finally broke the stand-off.

" _Lina-san_!" The princess came running forward and practically tackled Lina in a hug. "Lina-san! It's so good to see you!"

"Amelia, what a surprise." Lina took an involuntary step back from the force of Amelia's hug, but she sheepishly returned it.

Zelgadis came up behind Amelia, smiling at the sorceress. "Well we didn't expect to run into the two of you here. Were you just in Seyruun?"

"Yep," Gourry said cheerfully. "We were hoping to run into Amelia, but she wasn't there." He grinned big at the couple. "Hi Amelia! Hi Zel!"

"Hi Gourry-san." Amelia smiled back as she broke the hug with Lina. "Wow, you two haven't changed at all."

Lina smirked. "Yea, well, can't improve on perfection, can you? I certainly can't say the same for you, Amelia."

Amelia looked mildy surprised. "What do you mean?"

"When the hell did you get taller than _me?_ " Lina fumed as she stood next to the princess, noticing she now had to look up slightly to look at her. Amelia just blushed, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

Gourry spoke up this time. "So just where were you guys going?"

"Zelgadis and I were just heading home to Seyruun," Amelia answered, moving to stand next to the chimera again.

"Oh?" Lina spoke up. "Finished your business in Nuulin?"

Zelgadis smirked at her. "I take it Prince Philionel told you."

"Yea, we visited Seyruun looking for Amelia, and were told she headed off to the Anti-Magic City for some undertaking."

Zelgadis noted the label she used. "Have you heard of it before?"

"Only a little," Lina folded her arms thinking back. "All I know is that it's a small town with a barrier that prevents spell casting. Supposedly it's even powerful enough to prevent demons and Mazoku from entering. I've just never actually been there before." She shrugged. "Any city referred to as 'anti-magic' didn't sound all that appealing to me. Being so close to the Desert of Destruction didn't help either."

"That's all true," Zelgadis smiled. Lina always seemed so well informed when it came to just about anything magical, dangerous, or valuable. "They use white and black magic Fusion to create the barrier, but it goes down every 100 years, so they have to renew it."

"Magical Fusion, really?" Lina's eyes went wide with excitement. "Damn, if I'd known that I _would_ have gone to visit."

"Don't bother." Amelia spoke up, her voice cold and angry. "That place is awful. If I ever go back there, it will be too soon."

It was not the reaction Lina was expecting from the normally cheerful princess. "Huh? What's wrong with it, Amelia?"

Zelgadis answered. "Amelia was called there to be the White Mage for the Fusion. While there we discovered that the shield is now being corrupted by the Mazoku for their own ends." His eyes narrowed. "And by 'Mazoku' I mean specifically Xellos."

"Xellos?" Now Lina was _really_ intrigued. She'd traveled with the Mazoku many times, and things always got _interesting_ when Xellos became involved.

Amelia spoke up again, clenching her fists to her sides. "Xellos-san tortured and tried to have us killed just to get that shield up! He was so cruel and evil and I swear if I ever see him again…"

She clenched her fists tighter till her knuckles turned white. She didn't realizing how angry she was until she felt a familiar hand touch hers. She glanced down, and saw Zelgadis' hand resting on her fist, squeezing it reassuringly. Her anger was released in one fell swoop, and Amelia took his hand in hers.

The gesture did not escape Lina's notice. "Well, well," she chuckled. "Looks like at least _something_ good came out of Nullin."

Amelia blushed, but smiled sweetly. "I guess you could say that."

Zelgadis blushed slightly, but cringed in response.

"What about you, Lina-san?" Amelia turned back to the sorceress, her eyes gleaming. "Did you and Gourry-san finally get together, too?"

Lina's face turned beet red, her eyes wide. "Wha…What do you mean?" Gourry stared at Lina with gentle eyes but said nothing.

"You know what I mean," Amelia smiled. "Did you two finally declare your love for each other or what?"

Lina glared at the princess, still blushing. "What? Of course _not_ , we just travel together, that's all!"

Amelia saw Gourry sigh and look away, a reaction that wasn't lost on Lina. The red-headed sorceress looked over at her companion confused. "What? Was it something I said?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You two have been together for almost six years. You guys are hopeless, I swear."

"Oh good, you are all here. This makes my job so much easier."

Lina and Gourry looked up in surprise. Standing behind Zelgadis and Amelia was the familiar smiling priest.

Zelgadis growled, "You!"

"Hello everyone. It's good to see you again."

Lina smirked. "And here comes trouble. Hello, Xellos."

Xellos smiled charmingly at Lina, despite the angry glares he got from Zelgadis and Amelia. His eyes remained closed, as he usually only opened them when he was starting to get serious.

Amelia backed away from Xellos as he approached. Zelgadis placed himself between the princess and the Mazoku, staring him down with palpable hatred.

"I can't believe you would dare show your face around us after what you did."

"Oh, come on, are you still mad about that?" Xellos waved his hand dismissively. "It was almost a month ago, I'd think you would have forgotten by now."

"I tend to remember when someone tries to kill me!"

"Well, it doesn't matter really, Zelgadis-san. I'll get to my business with you and Amelia-san in just a moment. For now," he turned his attention to the sorceress, "my business is with Lina-san."

Everyone turned to Lina, who merely bowed her head with a grin, "Hmm! Some things never change. Alright Xellos, what do you want?"

He clapped his hands together in front of him eagerly. "Yes, well, what I want will require a bit of explanation, I'm afraid. Did Zelgadis-san and Amelia-san tell you about Nullin?"

"Yeah, kinda." She stole a brief glance at the pair before continuing. To say the two of them were not thrilled to see Xellos was an understatement. "They told me that you were there to corrupt the Magical Fusion ceremony."

"Indeed that's true." He was very casual as he spoke of it. "We discovered 100 years ago that when you unbalance the power of white and black magic, the shield will actually destroy the weaker magic. My goal was to use my demonic magic with a human white mage to create a shield that destroys white magic."

"And don't forget," Zelgadis interrupted, his voice icy cold. "It also kills white mages, including the one performing the ceremony with you. You killed the white mage 100 years ago when you did it, and you even performed it with Amelia knowing what it might do to her."

"Well, yes, there is that too…"

Lina frowned. She continued to gaze at the Mazoku curiously, even though she turned her question to the chimera. "So if what you say is true, Zelgadis, why did Amelia live?"

It was Xellos that answered. "Because our sweet little princess shrine maiden can use Holy magic now. She equaled my demonic magic with it. I was highly impressed I must say."

" _What_?" Lina looked over at Amelia in shock.

The princess just glanced back nervously. "No, no, I can't use Holy Magic. Xellos-san is just saying I did."

"I also added my shaman magic to the shield," Zelgadis interjected. "I'm pretty sure that's the real reason."

"Goodness," Xellos sighed. "Don't you guys trust me at all?"

"No," Zelgadis and Amelia spoke simultaneously.

"Ah…"

"Anyway!" Lina interrupted. "That's all well and good, but what does the shield of Nullin have to do with me?"

Xellos turned back to Lina and smiled wide again. "Since Zelgadis-san and Amelia-san messed up our little experiment, Beastmaster-sama has given me a new task to perform."

"And that is?" she pressed.

"She wants me to ask you, Lina-san, to destroy Nullin's shield."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 2: No Sorcerers Allowed  
> It's called the Anti-Magic city for a reason, Lina!


	2. No Sorcerers Allowed

Amelia reacted first. " _What_?"

Lina ignored Amelia's outburst. "Oh, I get it. So you want me to cast the Ragna Blade?"

Xellos nodded. "It is the only thing I can think of that could possibly take out the anti-magic shield. I have limited means of my own, so I've come to ask for your help, Lina-san."

"Wait a minute!" Amelia was in a panic. "You mean after all the trouble we went through to get that shield up, you just want to go destroy it?"

"That shield as it is does not suit our needs." Xellos shrugged. "So there is no point in letting a nuisance like that remain."

"But the people of Nullin need that shield for their protection!"

"No they don't, Amelia." Zelgadis spoke up. "The Mazoku are only interested in manipulating their shield. Taking out the shield would only make them as vulnerable as every other city in the world."

"Zelgadis-san, you are supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"Frankly," Lina folded her arms in front of her, "I'm a whole lot more interested in what _I_ get out of this. It's a long journey and the Ragna Blade takes a lot out of me. I'm not just going to throw that thing around just because you asked me to, Xellos."

"We are fully prepared to compensate you, Lina-san."

"Don't do it, Lina-san!" Amelia cried out. "We have no right to destroy Nullin's shield! That's just evil!"

"Hey, give me a bit more credit here." Lina glared at Amelia, who quieted down. "If what Zelgadis says is true, then in order to get the kind of shield the Mazoku want, you have to sacrifice a shrine maiden or white priest." Lina shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Do you really think I'd be party to something like _that_?"

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me," Xellos chuckled, bringing his hands together again. "The altar used in Magical Fusion is depleted. It can't be used for another 100 years anyway. Whether we destroy the shield now or later, we won't be able to sacrifice a white mage till then."

"If that's the case," Lina continued, "Then why the big rush to destroy the shield? Why not just wait 100 years and let it dissipate on its own?"

"Well," Xellos looked mildly nervous now. "Let's just say this shield has had some unforeseen consequences."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Unforeseen consequences?"

"Yes."

"Like what?"

"That is a secret!"

"Hah!" Lina threw her hands in the air. "I'm not going to be inclined to help you if you continue to keep secrets from me."

Xellos smiled and stood up straight. Gingerly he reached over and began pulling the glove off of his right hand. "Well, before you refuse me, Lina-san, let me further explain what it is I need from you." He removed his glove and held up his hand for everyone to see.

Amelia let out a soft gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. Lina looked on curiously. Xellos' hand looked like a perfectly normal human hand, with the exception of a black scar around his ring finger.

"So just what is _that_ supposed to be?" Lina asked, skeptical.

"I'm afraid I can't give you all the details." Xellos twisted his hand around, showing the mark went all the way around the finger, like a ring. "But I got this after performing the Magical Fusion ceremony. Part of the ceremony includes a magical-enhancement ring that I wore on this finger." He pointed to the mark. "So I didn't think much of it. But I'm afraid this mark does have magical properties, and it is causing me no end of trouble."

"From Magical Fusion huh?" Lina tapped her finger on her mouth in thought, before turning her attention to Amelia. The princess was still covering her mouth with both hands.

"Amelia? Show me your hand." Lina ordered. Amelia glanced over at Lina, her hands still over her mouth. After a brief hesitation, she removed her right hand and held up her left.

The mark on her hand was just like the Mazoku's.

"And that's not all," Xellos said with a chuckle. "Zelgadis-san has it, too!"

"Heh?" Lina looked over at Zelgadis. The chimera stood there for a few moments, staring right back. Then, with a sigh, he removed the fingerless glove from his right hand. Sure enough, his mark matched Xellos'.

Lina stared at Zelgadis' mark, then smiled mischievously as she looked back at Amelia. "Wow, married yourself to two guys, huh? You know I think that's illegal in most countries."

Amelia's eyes went wide with shock. "Lina-san, you know it's not like that!"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes in annoyance. Xellos covered his mouth and giggled.

"Alright, Xellos," Lina spoke up again. "So you all share similar marks, and they are causing you problems. What does this have to do with Nullin's shield?"

Xelllos composed himself from his laughing to answer her. "Since we got these marks during the Magical Fusion ceremony, and because the marks bear a remarkable resemblance to Fusion magic, I'm convinced that destroying Nullin's shield should clear us all of these unsightly brands."

Zelgadis snorted. "Whatever these marks are doing, it looks like it only bothers _you_ , Xellos. I don't see why we should have to involve ourselves in what is obviously _your_ problem."

Xellos smiled at Zelgadis, his voice suddenly turning ominous. "It does seem that I'm the only one adversely affected, much to my annoyance. However, it would still be in your best interest to help me, Zelgadis-san."

The chimera narrowed his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Although there are multiple possibilities for removing these marks, such as destroying Nullin's shield, there is just one in particular that is _guaranteed_ to remove them. I'd like to make it a last resort, but if you and Lina-san won't help me it is the only option I have."

"Hold it, Xellos." Lina interrupted. Her face had grown serious, and she turned her attention to the Mazoku. "I think I understand what you are saying, but I have a few more questions for you before we agree to anything."

Xellos turned his attention to the sorceress and smiled. "Alright."

"First, Zelgadis mentioned you performed this ceremony 100 years ago and it killed the white mage, right?"

"That is correct."

"So," Lina opened her eyes, staring straight at the Mazoku. "Did you get a mark from her?"

Xellos shook his head. "No, I've never had this mark before."

"I see," Lina sighed, then grinned at Xellos. "I understand perfectly. Looks like whatever you need, we're here to help you."

Xellos smiled, "Thank you, Lina-san. I knew you would come through for me."

"Now wait just a minute," Zelgadis interrupted, snarling at Lina. "Why should we do anything to help _him_?"

Lina rolled her eyes and glared. "Geez, Zel, you are usually so bright. Did Rezo put more rocks in your head than I thought?"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes at Lina. "I'm being serious, Lina."

"So am I, so just think for a minute." She lifted a finger for emphasis. "Xellos performed the Fusion ceremony 100 years ago. The white mage died. He did _not_ get the mark. He then performs it this year and he's marked."

She saw comprehension and fear dawn on Zelgadis' face and she continued. "That's right. The most sure-fire way for Xellos to get rid of the mark would be to just _kill_ you two."

Amelia's eyes went wide and she instinctively ducked behind Zelgadis. The chimera snarled at the Mazoku.

Xellos opened his eyes slightly to give Zelgadis and Amelia a malevolent grin. It was all the confirmation they needed.

"I guess I should thank you, Xellos," Lina continued, "for at least considering other options before going around killing my friends."

"Oh you are quite welcome, Lina-san," Xellos answered cheerfully.

"But just to be clear…" Lina folded her arms in front of her stubbornly. "I'm doing this for Zel and Amelia. I'm not doing this for you."

Xellos shrugged. "That's fine with me."

"Good, just so long as we understand each other. Now, Gourry! Wake up!"

Gourry had sat through most of the conversation, his head down and snoring softly. At least, until Lina smacked him across the back of his head, knocking him with a loud thud to the ground.

"Oww, Lina!" Gourry complained as he stood up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Gourry, get up. We're leaving for Nullin."

* * *

It had seemed to Amelia as if Seyruun was almost in sight, that they were finally about to go home. And yet, here they were, turned around and heading straight back to Nullin.

Lina and Gourry marched ahead, side by side. Zelgadis and Amelia were behind them at a distance, but enough to keep their companions in sight. Xellos was around…somewhere.

Amelia looked down again at the mark on her finger. She had thought of it rather fondly before, like a permanent link she had with Zelgadis. She even remembered thinking to herself how pretty it was, with gold and white weaving in and out in front of a black backdrop. At times, when she held Zelgadis' hand, she would even look down and smile as she saw the marks touching each other, just like in the Elmekian wedding ceremony. It all seemed so strangely romantic.

Now this same mark filled her with dread and horror; a dark curse that linked her with _Xellos_.

While in Nullin, the Mazoku had been surprisingly sweet and nice to her. It was enough to make her think that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't like other Mazoku. After all, Xellos had rescued them from certain death so many times, and was somewhat helpful even while being devious and mischievous. Perhaps he was a friendlier version of the Race of Evil and worthy of trust.

He betrayed that image in an instant, however, when he tortured Zelgadis in order to force her to perform the ceremony. Sometimes her head still spun when she thought back to that sudden flash in his eyes, when he realized she wouldn't perform the ceremony without the chimera. Everything changed after that, including her opinion of the Mazoku.

She had hoped she'd never see him again after leaving Nullin. But instead…

"You do realize," Amelia spoke softly, "that Xellos is holding us hostage again?"

Zelgadis grimaced. "Yes, I know."

"Do you think he'll ever stop using us?"

"I doubt it."

Amelia looked down at the ground, frowning. "I really don't want to go back to Nullin."

"Neither do I, Amelia." He looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "But once this is over, we can head back to Seyruun. Just this one last trip and it will all be over. We just need to be patient."

Amelia gave a defeated sigh. "I had hoped we wouldn't have to deal with Xellos-san again. He really scares me, Zelgadis-san."

"To be honest, Amelia," Zelgadis whispered to her, feeling a chill in his spine. "He scares the hell out of me, too."

"But I'm not that scary."

Amelia screamed, grabbing Zelgadis around his middle. Xellos had appeared right next to her, practically whispering in her ear. Amelia scooted over to Zelgadis' other side, still holding him, to get away.

They all stopped walking, and Zelgadis snarled at the smiling Mazoku, "Knock it off, Xellos."

Xellos ignored the chimera. "Oh, so sorry, Amelia-san. Did I startle you?"

Amelia glared at the Mazoku priest, her face turning beet red. "Stop with your games, Xellos-san. I've had just about enough!"

"I'm not playing any games." He was still smiling sweetly, his eyes tightly shut. "I just wanted to come hang out with the humans that are branded to me."

The chimera's eye twitched. "You make it sound like we're cattle."

Xellos frowned. "Zelgadis-san, I really wish you wouldn't twist my words to make it sound like I'm insulting you. I meant no ill..."

"What do you want, Xellos?" Zelgadis said sternly.

"I want to destroy Nullin's shield. I thought I made that clear."

"Fine, we're on our way to Nullin now, so if that's all you want you can go."

"Oh come on." Xellos had a pleading tone in his voice. "I can be a pleasant conversationalist! We could talk about the weather, or spellcasting or…."

"No." Zelgadis kept his voice stoic, never taking his eyes off of the Mazoku.

"So very rude." Xellos frowned. "We're traveling together again, so you may as well get used to my company."

"It's not my choice to be traveling with you, Xellos. I just want to get this done and over with so we can get on with our lives." He narrowed his eyes. "Till then, just stay away from Amelia and me."

"But I don't want to. I know," Xellos brightened, "Maybe we can play a game. I know a lot of great travel games like…"

Xellos was interrupted by a familiar hand suddenly grabbing his ear and jerking him away.

"Hey, Xellos," Lina exclaimed. "You know it's been a long time and I think Zel and Amelia have hogged you long enough. Why don't you come up here and hang out with Gourry and me for awhile."

Lina began walking again, towing a whining Xellos behind her. "Oww, Lina-san, that's my ear. Lina-san!"

"Come on, we'll have lots of fun." Her voice was dripping with mock sarcasm. "We can even play those wonderful travel games you mentioned. I bet Gourry would _love_ that."

Zelgadis and Amelia could only stare wide-eyed as Lina dragged Xellos away. Amelia finally let go of the chimera, but stayed by his side.

"Only Lina-san could possibly pull a stunt like _that_."

' _Well there's no argument there,'_ Zelgadis thought with a slight smirk. He reached back and took Amelia by the hand. She looked back at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Stay close to me Amelia. We just have to endure this a little longer."

He began walking forward, pulling Amelia with him. He picked up the pace so they could catch up to Lina and the others. "Just a little longer, and it will all be over."

* * *

They traveled for about a week and a half, and the journey proved surprisingly uneventful. When Zelgadis and Amelia had been traveling away from Nullin they didn't make nearly as good time. They had taken a very leisurely pace so they could enjoy the journey as well as each other's company. Now they just wanted to get there, get the deed done, and get out as soon as possible.

They were nearing Nullin when the group decided to make camp early to rest up for the final leg of the tirp. As night fell, the four of them sat around a campfire, preparing their bedrolls.

To Zelgadis' surprise, Lina rolled her bedroll out right next to Gourry's instead of Amelia's. The sleeping arrangements before had always been to put the guys together and the girls together.

Lina noticed their expressions, but just glared. 'What? Gourry and I have had our sleeping arrangements like this for three years. Why should I change it just because you guys are here? It's not like we're gonna' do anything out in the open. Besides, the sound of his snoring helps me sleep and... why am I even explaining this to you? It's none of your business!"

And that, as they say, was that. With a shrug, Zelgadis and Amelia rolled their bedrolls out next to each other on the other side of the camp fire.

Zelgadis had expected Xellos to bail at this point, but he instead agreed to take watch for the entire night. This was both comforting and disconcerting at the same time.

"Well, it certainly wouldn't do me much good if something happened to all of you," he said with his usual grin.

"Don't you have some assignment from your Dark Lord to complete somewhere?" Zelgadis retorted, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You _are_ my assignment," was his simple answer.

It was some time before Zelgadis allowed himself to nod off, glancing up every once in awhile to glare at the Mazoku who had perched himself in a nearby tree. Xellos either ignored him, or would smile right back. He even waved once, which just served to annoy the chimera.

Eventually he gave up trying to be apprehensive of the Mazoku, and it wasn't long before even Zelgadis fell asleep.

And that's when his dream began.

Zelgadis was human again, but he wasn't sure how. He stood in front of an orihalcon shrine, no bigger than a shed, that was surrounded by crushed flowers and damaged landscaping. He knew it was Magical Fusion shrine and he was in Nullin, but everything looked different somehow. And he couldn't figure out how he got there.

People were running back and forth in a panicked state, people he didn't recognize. This seemed odd, as he had lived in Nullin for over a year before Amelia came, and he thought he knew everybody.

Looking up, he could see why everyone was in such a panic. The sky was filled with demons of every shape and size, and they were attacking buildings and people alike.

The towns warriors were fighting off many, but it was a dire situation. Without his chimera form, Zelgadis suddenly felt very vulnerable and frightened. He drew his sword, preparing for a fight, but it was then that he realized the demons and people alike were completely ignoring him. It was as though they didn't even know he was there.

"Zelgadis-san." A strangely familiar voice spoke from behind him, from the shrine, and he spun around, sword still at the ready. There stood a beautiful, and very recognizable, woman.

The woman had long blond hair, with long bangs framing the sides of her lovely, angled face. She wore a shrine-maiden cap with golden balls falling on either side to cover her ears. The woman wore a pure white cloak, tied together with a simple blue bow. The cloak covered a frilly pink dress.

"Filia?"

"Zelgadis-san," she said, her green eyes smiling sadly at him. "I'm afraid I don't have much time. I really just wanted to meet you before I had to go."

"What?" He lowered his sword, but stood confused. "Meet me? Filia we met three years ago, don't you remember?"

"Oh, I know," she chuckled a little, but there was a slight nervousness in her voice. "I meant that, pretty soon, I won't be able to contact you anymore. So I wanted to see you while I still had the chance."

"What do you mean? Why can't you contact me?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she walked up to him, so close that he had to resist the urge to take a step back. She took his head in hers and gently turned it to the side, reaching up and giving him a gentle kiss on his right cheek.

She pulled away slowly, still smiling up at him. Zelgadis touched his cheek where she kissed him, his cheeks turning hot with embarrassment. "Filia? What are you doing?"

Her eyes were filled with great sadness, "Goodbye, Zelgadis-san."

His eyes shot open, and he found himself still lying in his bedroll. The only sound he heard was the crackle of the fire next to him and the loud snores coming from both Lina and Gourry on the other side.

Zelgadis looked to the other side of him and found Amelia there, still sleeping soundly. He sighed and furrowed his brow. _'Such a strange dream,'_ he thought to himself, but quickly dismissed it. Strange or not, it was just a dream.

He had completely forgotten about Filia and the dream by the time he drifted back into a deep sleep.

* * *

"The edge of the shield isn't far from here." Zelgadis said as they entered a familiar clearing. The road to Nullin lead through it, and Zelgadis, Amelia, and Xellos had all been here several times before. Amelia had fought bandits and trolls here. It was here that Zelgadis had used one of the ceremony rings to heal Amelia. And it was here where Zelgadis first found out the ceremony could potentially kill her.

"The shield is invisible," Zelgadis continued, forcing the memories from his mind. "So I may have to use a spell to find it."

"I think I know of a better way."

Zelgadis stopped and turned around at the sound of the Mazoku's voice. Xellos, however, had turned to address the red-headed sorceress behind him. "But before we deal with the shield, Lina-san, wouldn't you like to have something to eat? To build up your strength?"

"What? Food?" That got her attention.

"Yep," Xellos was especially cheerful. "I'm telling you, Lina-san, there is a restaurant here that serves the very best Evankion Vegetable Soup you have ever tried."

"Evankion Soup!" She was already starting to drool.

"I have no idea what that is," Gourry chimed in. "But it sounds delicious."

"Oh it is," Xellos brought his hand up, fingers spread as he counted down items. "They also serve Elmekian Soufflé, Radosian Tartar, Margorm Spiced Flounder, Grilled Royal Corn, Tempu Tempu…"

"I bet I can beat you there, Gourry!" Lina crouched down, preparing to run.

"No way, Lina, it's all going to be mine."

They both dashed forward, racing to be the first to the feast that was waiting in Nullin. So intent was Gourry on beating Lina to the town, that he almost didn't hear the loud smacking sound behind him

The sound resonated and echoed in the forest air, and Gourry stopped, looking behind him. There sat Lina, flat on her back just a few feet behind.

"Huh? Lina you okay? What happened?" Gourry ran back to the sorceress.

Lina sat up, holding her face and shaking. "Oww, what…what just hit me?"

Zelgadis and Amelia rushed over to her as Gourry helped her to her feet. The red mark covered her entire face and she quickly went from confused to enraged. "Alright, which one of you did that? What was the big idea?"

Her three human companions all shook their heads, waving their hands defensively. Xellos practically skipped around to stand in front of Lina, smiling. "Congratulations, Lina-san. You found the border to the shield."

"Huh?" Confusion returned to her face. Gingerly, the sorceress reached her hand out in front of her. It wasn't long before it touched an invisible barrier, like pressing her hands on a pane of glass. "What the hell?"

Xellos kneeled in front of Lina to look at her straight on. "While contemplating what would happen to the shield when you add shaman magic to it, I came to a logical conclusion. When True Fusion was used as an attack spell, it killed a human mage."

He gestured to where everyone now knew the shield was. "So it stood to reason that a shield made with the same energy would be capable of preventing Mazoku, demons…and powerful sorcerers out."

" _What_!" The furious Lina was back. "You could have just _told_ me it was here, Xellos, before I smacked my face into it!"

"Oh, but it was more fun this way."

Lina pressed both hands against the shield, desperate to get her hands on the mischievous Mazoku. Alas, he was standing on the other side where she couldn't get to him.

So she decided to pick a different target.

"So it was adding shaman magic that did this to the shield, huh?" Her eyes turned to Zelgadis. Panic stricken, the chimera jumped to the other side of the shield to escape her.

This only confused Lina further. "What? How can you enter the shield? You're a sorcerer, too!"

Amelia quickly joined Zelgadis on the other side, fearing Lina's wrath. It was Xellos, however, that answered her. "We helped create the shield, Lina-san, so we are immune to it's blocking properties."

Lina bristled, her hands clenched tight. It was now Gourry's turn to join everyone on the other side of the shield.

"Sorry, Lina-san," Xellos continued to goad her on. "But I'm afraid you are the only one here who can't enter Nullin."

Lina glared daggers at Xellos, but then smirked. She calmly stood up, her eye twitching in anger, "Alright, if that's how it is, then I guess I'd better get busy."

Lina raised up her arms, crossing them over her chest until the talismans on her wrists lined up with the ones on her neck and cloak.

" _Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds, grant me all the power that you possess!"_

The talismans began to glow a bright red, augmenting her magic. She was now ready to cast her spell.

" _Lord of the dreams that terrify, sword of the cold and dark, free yourself from the heaven's bonds."_

"It might be a good idea," Xellos exclaimed, "for us to back up a bit."

" _Become one with my body, one with my power, and let us walk the path to destruction together."_

He didn't have to tell them twice. All four backed out of the way, keeping a safe distance from Lina, but still in sight.

" _Power that can smash even the souls of the Gods."_

Lina brought her right hand down to her side, clenching it into a fist. A bright red light shone in her hand and began to take shape. She clenched her fist tighter, and energy emerged from each side of her hand, forming a constantly shifting blade of absolute darkness.

" _Ragna Blade!"_

The black energy shot out in front of her, the constant warping and shifting shadow taking the form of a giant broad sword. She grabbed onto the energy blade with both hands, swinging it up over her head, and then striking downwards in one, fluid motion.

As soon as her _Ragna Blade_ touched the ground, Lina unclenched her fists, releasing the spell and letting it disappear on its own.

At first it seemed like nothing had happened. It only took a moment however, for a slice to suddenly form in the invisible shield, like a reflective tear in a sheet of clear paper. The entire shield quivered, distorting everything around it. Then, like a bubble popping in slow motion, the shield burst at the tear, vanishing without a trace.

Lina collapsed to all fours, completely spent from her most powerful spell. Her breathing was heavy and labored, her head bowed so that only her fiery red hair showed.

Xellos casually walked over to her, kneeling down in front of the sorcerer. "Well done, Lina-san. Thank you so much for your service."

Lina suddenly looked up, and the murderous look she gave the Mazoku made him sweat. "Um, Lina-san? Is something wro…"

Xellos was interrupted when Lina leaped up, grabbing the Mazoku by the throat and tackling him to the ground. Squatting over his chest, Lina began pounding his head into the ground.

"Don't you _ever_ pull a stunt like that again!" She screamed, emphasizing every word with a smack of his head to the ground. "You piece of raw, filthy, stinking, no good sack of _garbage_!"

"Ack, I'm…sorry…Lina…san." Xellos tried to gasp out in between having his head bashed into the grass. Despite the violent situation he was in, he was grinning like a child.

Zelgadis and Amelia watched in surprise. It took only a moment for the chimera to remember the reason they had come here in the first place. He quickly pulled the fingerless glove from his right hand to take a look.

He smiled, sighing in relief.

"Well, you got your wish," he held up his hand triumphantly. The black mark that had been there was now gone. "It's over, Xellos..."

"Zelgadis-san!"

Amelia's voice had an edge of fear in it, and he turned to look at the princess. Amelia was staring down at her hand, her body trembling. A quick glance at her hand made it clear why.

She still had the black mark on her left hand.

This got Lina's attention, and the sorceress stopped pummeling Xellos long enough to have a look. "What's going on over there?"

Gourry cocked his head curiously as he looked at Amelia. "Looks like Zel doesn't have the mark anymore, but Amelia still does."

"You're kidding?" Lina looked down at the Mazoku, and he looked back at her, just as surprised as she was. The sorceress decided to take advantage of her position sitting on Xellos' chest and grabbed his right hand. She violently yanked the white glove off to look at his finger.

The black mark was still on his hand as well.

Xellos looked at it and frowned. "Oh, this is not good."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 3: Strange Behavior  
> Strange for Xellos, anyway.


	3. Strange Behavior

"How the hell did it work on Zelgadis and not you two?" Lina exclaimed. She had finally removed herself from the tackled Mazoku as she assessed the situation.

Xellos picked up his glove and stood up, dusting himself off. "Well, Zelgadis-san wasn't wearing a ring during the ceremony. I can only assume his link was weaker."

Amelia groaned. "I didn't mind being linked with Zelgadis, but Xellos? This is awful!"

"So," Gourry was as confused as ever. "What does this all mean? If getting rid of the shield didn't do it, how do we remove the marks?"

"We got rid of that shield for nothing!" Amelia cried out.

"Oh, that's not true Amelia." Lina said candidly. "I mean, we did free Zelgadis at least."

"At this point, I'm not too thrilled about it." Zelgadis glared at Xellos.

Xellos ignored the chimera. He was still staring down at his own hand, at the mark that was still clear as day, his expression grim. The Mazoku furrowed his brow in thought. "This is very bad. I was certain that removing the shield would solve this. What a shame," he placed his glove back on his hand. "Well, Amelia-san it looks like I'll have to go to Plan B."

Everyone tensed up. Amelia watched, terrified as Xellos began casually walking toward her.

Zelgadis quickly pushed Amelia behind him, pulling out his sword. Gourry leapt over and drew his own sword, standing in front of the princess.

"Oh no you don't," Gourry yelled, bringing his sword to the ready. "You're not laying a finger on Amelia, Xellos!"

Xellos stopped, looking at the trio with confusion. "Huh?"

Lina spoke up as she calmly walked over to the others. "We're not going to let you kill Amelia that easily, Xellos. You'll have to take the rest of us out first."

Lina positioned herself with the guys, all facing Xellos. The Mazoku stared back at them, looking…confused.

The gang was tensed up, ready to fight, knowing they had no chance at defeating Xellos. So it was a little upsetting when Xellos instead burst out laughing in embarrassment.

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not going to kill Amelia-san. That one is only a last resort," he said, waving his hand in front of him. "I still have another idea for removing these marks, but I need her help."

The Mazoku reached into his satchel, pulling out a small item.

Zelgadis growled. "Oh, I'm sure you need her help, Xellos," he said sarcastically. "You can't fool us that easily."

Xellos smirked at the chimera. "Zelgadis-san, if I wanted to kill Amelia, do you think you could really stop me? I wouldn't have to use trickery to get to her."

"That may be true," Lina spoke up. "But I know you well enough to know you'd do it anyway, just for the fun of it."

Xellos chuckled. "Ah, touché Lina-san, you are right. But I'm being honest, now. I'm not set to kill Amelia-san. Not just yet. I still have one other option to explore, and I really do need her help to do it."

"My help?" There was still fear in Amelia's eyes, but she was also curious, and she relaxed just a little.

Xellos didn't approach her, he simply stretched his hand to offer the item to her.

The princess hesitated for several minutes, studying Xellos carefully, but the Mazoku didn't budge. She finally dared to step forwards, forcing a reluctant Zelgadis to step aside so she could walk up to the Mazoku and take the item from his hand.

It was a thick lock of braided hair, black in color and tied with a gold ring at the end. Below the gold ring the hair turned from black to red, like a brush dipped in red paint.

"What is this, Xellos-san?" She looked at him curiously.

"That belongs to a woman I must find." He answered as he closed his satchel. "I have good reason to believe she has information regarding our marks. Problem is, this woman doesn't want to be found, and she is somehow blocking my demonic means of locating her."

"I see," Amelia sighed as she looked at the hair. She noticed the other end of the hair also had specs of red that looked more like blood, as though the hair had been ripped out of this woman's scalp. And if that wasn't enough to make Amelia shudder, it also had a strong aura of evil. "So you're hoping my white magic can find her?"

"That's right!" he exclaimed. "Help me find her and we can be rid of these pesky marks, Amelia-san."

"She's not human, is she, Xellos-san?" Amelia said as she clutched the hair. Her powers specifically searched for magic or evil, so searching for a normal human would be pointless

"Oh no, she is not human. She is a Mazoku, so you should have no trouble finding her."

Amelia almost dropped the hair in disgust.

"She is merely in human form in order to hide among the populace, or so I'm assuming. Please use your magic to help me find her, Amelia-san, and we can be free of all this trouble."

The princess sighed as she clutched the hair in both hands. "I guess I don't have much choice."

Amelia held the hair with one hand as she reached into her cloak to pull a small dagger out of a hidden pocket. The dagger had a cross-design, with a wide gold hilt that ended on each side with a point. The center of the dagger held the Seyruun family crest, a gold dragon with black wings, encircled around a shield depicting a gold tower. The dagger was mostly for show and didn't make for a very good weapon, but it would serve Amelia's needs perfectly.

She took the piece of hair and tied it around the handle of the dagger, securing it in place. She then stuck the dagger into ground, handle side down. Even after releasing her grip on it, the dagger continued to stand upright.

She kneeled down, placing her hands over the blade of the dagger without touching it. The hilt began to glow a bluish-white as she began to cast her spell. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath, and spread her hands outwards.

The dagger teetered back and forth, before finally falling to the ground, the tip of the blade pointing northwest.

"She's that way." Amelia said as she stood up.

"Thank you, Amelia-san." Xellos replied as he walked over to stand before the dagger, gazing out in that direction. "Well, shall we get going, everyone?"

"Hold on" Lina stated forcefully. "You seem to be forgetting, Xellos, that I was told there was some delicious food here."

"Hmm?" He thought for a minute. "I guess I did mention something like that."

"There's no way I'm going to pass by a town before sampling some of their fine cuisine. It just wouldn't be me."

"Be careful, Lina," Zelgadis spoke. "You just destroyed the anti-magic shield around this place. Considering no one has come this way to check it out, I'm guessing they don't know yet."

"Oh, that's fine, I just won't use any magic, Zel. No big deal. You guys coming?"

"Can't." Zelgadis frowned. "The townsfolk here think that I'm a Mazoku." He narrowed his eyes as he turned them to Xellos. "And I'll give you three guesses as to why."

Xellos chuckled. "Oh, come now, Zelgadis-san. I only told the townsfolk there was a Mazoku in their fair city. Is it my fault they assumed it was you?"

Zelgadis growled at Xellos, clenching his fists in anger.

"Oh well," Lina shrugged. "In that case, Amelia, you stay here with Zelgadis. We'll bring you back a few things to eat. Gourry, I'llraceya!"

Lina bolted for town.

"Wha..hey no fair! You're getting a head start!" Gourry took off after her at top speed.

* * *

Zelgadis and Amelia walked across the forest surrounding Nullin. Zelgadis knew exactly where to go, and Amelia simply followed. It wasn't long before Zelgadis found the familiar cliff face. Beyond the foliage was hidden a small cave. One that Zelgadis use to call his second home.

Zelgadis pushed the foliage aside and stepped inside, Amelia close behind him. A quick _Lighting_ spell and the inside of the dry cave was revealed. It was just a small space, with a bare cot to their left. Several large tools sat in the far corner, and a desk with books and papers on it sat to their right.

Amelia smiled to herself. "Sure looks different from the last time we were here."

"I took a lot of the things here with me when we left." Zelgadis answered as he went straight for the desk. "I hadn't intended to come back here again."

"So just why are we here again?" Amelia asked. She sat down on the cot, facing Zelgadis, who was busy rummaging through papers.

"There was something I remembered from my research about marks on the fingers of other Couples. I wanted to see if I could find it again."

"Do you remember anything about what it said?"

Zelgadis shook his head. "Not really. The passage was brief, and seemed to suggest what we thought before; that they were just scars caused by the power of the ceremony."

Amelia looked down again at the "ring" on her finger. The white weaving that had been there before was now gone, and it was now just a gold and black pattern. It seemed the white came from Zelgadis and his shaman magic. What remained was for her and Xellos. If the marks did indicate some kind of connection, she was linked directly with the Mazoklu now. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

Zelgadis was now dividing the books and papers he had into two neat piles. He stopped as he stumbled upon a single piece of paper. "Here it is."

Amelia perked up as Zelgadis walked over to sit next to her on the cot. He showed her the sheet of paper he found, an old piece of parchment with ancient text on it.

"It says here that the Second Couple, the sisters, mentioned having black marks on their fingers where they had worn the rings; left hand for the white mage, and right hand for the black mage." He pointed to the passage on the sheet of paper. "The mention is brief, though. No one seemed to think much of it."

"But if it is the rings doing it, why were you marked too? You weren't wearing a ring during the ceremony."

Zelgadis looked up at Amelia and smirked. "Amelia, I didn't wear a ring during the ceremony, but I _did_ wear and use the white mage ring. I used it to heal you." He lifted up his right hand. "And I wore it on this hand, where my mark was."

"Oh." She was rather surprised, but it made sense. Magic tended to leave a presence, or residue, whenever it was used. The stronger the magic, the longer it took for the remnants to go away. The magic was likely still there, on Zelgadis' finger, when he added his magic to the altar.

"Well," Amelia continued, "I think we can assume those two were human, and if they didn't think the marks were worth mentioning, maybe they really don't do anything to humans at all. Just Mazoku."

"And if that's true," Zelgadis said as he laid the paper back down on his lap, "I'm afraid nothing in my research will reveal what the effect is. He's the only Mazoku I know of who's performed Fusion."

Zelgadis got up from the cot and placed the page back in his pile. "I guess the only thing we can hope for is a hint somewhere."

He became silent as he searched through them again, pausing every once in awhile on one sheet or another. Amelia fidgeted nervously, the silence making her edgy. She let her eyes wander around the cave, and a familiar memory came back to her.

She was going to say something, when Zelgadis suddenly stood up and looked back at her. "Well, there's nothing left here for us. We should probably head back now."

"Huh? Oh," Amelia watched as Zelgadis moved towards the cave entrance. "Lina and Gourry wouldn't be able to find us out here."

"Say, Amelia," Zelgadis asked from the entrance, looking back at her, "Do you still have that Holy Magic book I gave you?"

"Of course I do," Amelia reached into her cloak, pulling out a thick, ancient book. "I'm still anxious to get back to Seyruun so we can see if we can have it translated."

"I just remembered that this was where I gave it to you." He smiled at the memory. "Bring it along. Maybe I can help you with it while we wait for Lina and Gourry."

Zelgadis stepped out of the cave and out of sight. Amelia started to follow, but she stopped at the entrance, taking one last look at the cave.

Before Zelgadis had spoken, she had remembered that this cave was where they had shared their first kiss. She smiled, blushing slightly at the memory. It had started off a bit awkward, and had ended the same way thanks to Xellos interrupting them. But even so, it was one of her happiest memories.

"Hey, Amelia? You coming?" She heard Zelgadis call from outside the cave.

"Yes, I'm coming." She took another quick glance around, her face beaming with the recollection. This would probably be the last time she would see this cave, and she wanted to savor the memory before she finally stepped out to follow Zelgadis back to Nullin's border.

* * *

The Mafusi restaurant in Nullin was considered the best in town. It was old, but well cared for, with cedar wood walls and modest decorations. When you walked in, you found a simple bar to the right, tables all around the spacious room, and a staircase to the far left. The restaurant was plenty busy for their lunch rush, and normally everyone would be simply chatting and enjoying their meal peacefully.

Today, however, everyone was staring at the couple sitting next to the window on the far wall.

"Let go, Jellyfish Brains!"

Lina and Gourry held a meat pastry between them. Lina snatched her fork off the table with her opposite hand, stabbing at Gourry. The warrior dodged the first and second swing, but the third hit him in the head, knocking him back and forcing him to let go of the food.

Lina brought the pastry straight to her mouth without hesitation. But just before she could bite into it, Gourry ducked under the table, kicking Lina's chair out from under her. With a yelp, Lina banged her head on the table, the meat pastry flying out of her hand before she slumped to the floor.

Gourry snatched the pastry in midair and devoured it in one bite. He grabbed his fork and went for more, but was grabbed from behind by Lina. She pulled his long hair back, wrapping her left arm around his neck in a headlock.

"Gah, Lina..I…can't…eat like this!"

"That's the idea!" She let go of Gourry's hair, grabbed his fork, and began to chow down on his food.

"Hey, that's _mine_!" With a growl, Gourry grabbed Lina's arm and threw her over his head. The sorceress hit her back on the table with a loud thud, food flying into the air all around her. She quickly flipped around on all fours to face Gourry and lunged for him again.

Everyone in the tavern was so mesmerized by the fighting couple, that no one even gave Xellos a second glance when he walked in. He sat down at an adjacent table and began sipping a cup of tea that had appeared out of nowhere. He drank it patiently, occasionally dodging bits of food that would be carelessly thrown his way.

Before long, Lina patted her now full and slightly bulging belly. Piles and piles of dirty dishes were stacked on their table, and a waitress had come over, struggling to clear them off.

"Ah, that was great. I should thank Xellos for telling us about this place."

Gourry was still eating, holding the plate close to his mouth so he could shovel in the remaining mashed potatoes and gravy. "Yea, d's is g'd."

"Is your strength back now, Lina-san?" Xellos turned in his chair so he was now half-facing the couple.

Lina glanced at the Mazoku, realizing for the first time that he was there. She grinned at him after getting over her initial surprise. "Oh yeah, I feel much better, Xellos."

"I'm anxious to get started on our journey again if you are ready."

"So soon?' Lina stretched, leaning back in her chair to enjoy the glow of a full stomach. "But there are so many other things I wanted to explore in this town. I'd love to go see the shrine for the Magical Fusion!"

"Oh, that's not possible, Ma'am." Their waitress, a young brunette girl with large brown eyes, said as she struggled with a second pile of dirty dishes. "The shrine is still closed for repairs. Seemed the last ceremony did a number on the place."

"What? Oh man," Lina pouted. "And here I was hoping to see those artifa…"

The sound of crashing dishes cut Lina off, followed by the cries of the waitress.

"Black Mage-sama?"

Lina glanced at the girl, who was staring wide-eyed at Xellos. She had apparently just noticed he was sitting there.

The Mazoku looked up at the girl curiously, before smiling in recognition, "Oh, Josie-san, it's you. How is my favorite waitress?"

Her face lit up with a wide smile as she saw his face. "Black Mage-sama! It's really you? You're alive!" She practically tackled his sitting form in a tight hug, much to Xellos' surprise.

The rest of the restaurant was suddenly abuzz with chatter.

"Hey, that really is him."

"Thank goodness, he's alive!"

"I wonder where he went?"

A crowd began to gather around their tables, or at least mostly around Xellos. The Mazoku chuckled nervously, putting a hand behind his head while the other patted the waitress on the back. "Yes, yes, I'm alive and well. It's really not that big a deal, everyone."

Lina looked on curiously at the reception. "Wow, Xellos, I had no idea you were so famous here."

Xellos shrugged, partly as an expression, and partly to convince Josie to let him go. "The people of Nullin hold a great deal of respect for the mages who perform the ceremony. Amelia-san would be getting a similar reception if she were here."

"Alright, alright, break it up, everyone!" The owner of the restaurant, a portly older woman, stepped out from behind the bar and marched over to them. "Show some respect, will ya? Josie! Let go of him and clean up the mess you made, or you're not getting paid today."

Josie immediately released Xellos, terrified of the owner, and began carefully picking up the broken dishes. The crowd reluctantly backed away.

"Forgive them, Black Mage-sama," the woman said as she came to his table. "You vanished after the ceremony, and we all believed you were dead. Many of our men-folk vanished during that ceremony, and we just can't tell you how relieved we are to see you."

"Oh, it's quite alright." He was as cheerful as always. "It's quite flattering, actually."

The owner continued to shoo people away from Xellos, scolding them with talk of manners and respect. Lina leaned back to relax as the drama began to calm down.

"If only these people knew the truth." Lina shook her head with a chuckle.

"Hey Lina?" Gourry spoke up. He was looking at Xellos curiously.

"What Gourry?"

"Does Xellos seem to be acting strange to you?"

"Huh?" Lina glanced at Gourry, then looked over at Xellos. The Mazoku had his back to them again, drinking his tea. "What do you mean. He seems to be his usual self to me."

"There's something different about him, though," Gourry was still studying him. "I just can't put my finger on it."

Lina gave a mocking smirk. "Don't strain yourself, Gourry."

Xellos set his tea down, placing a silver piece on the table before standing up. He turned towards Lina. "Well, I'm going to go see how Zelgadis-san and Amelia-san are doing. I'll meet you outside the border, Lina-san."

"Uh, sure Xellos." She studied him closely as he turned to walk out of the restaurant, but she couldn't see anything unusual about his behavior. ' _Jellyfish Brains must be imagining things.'_

She sat up in her chair before turning to her companion. "Well, Gourry, we should probably get going too. Nothing left here if we can't see the shrine and…"

There was a sudden noise, like pounding on wood, and they both glanced over. Just a few feet from their table, Xellos had collapsed to his knees. He was leaning heavily on his staff, both hands clasped tightly around the stick, and his head was down. And, to Lina's shock, she noticed he was _shaking_.

"What the…" Lina's eyes went wide with shock. "Xellos! What's wrong?"

Other people in the restaurant took notice and came over, but Lina was already by his side. She knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder so she could see his face.

Xellos' eyes were tightly shut, tears forming in them. His teeth were clenched just as tightly, as though he were in a great deal of pain.

"Xellos?" The only time she had ever seen him like this was when he was injured. But she couldn't see a single mark on him.

At the sound of his name, Xellos glanced up at Lina with a brief look of horror. Noticing her stare, he quickly put on a strained smile. "Oh…sorry, Lina-san…I'm afraid I…have to go!"

Xellos suddenly vanished before her eyes.

Lina sat there stunned, her hand still in the air where Xellos' shoulder had been. Then she panicked. "Oh, he did _not_ just do that!"

The restaurant was abuzz with talk again.

"Hey, did he just vanish?"

"Was that magic? You can't use magic here?"

"What's going on?"

Lina stood up to address everyone, waving her hands frantically to get their attention. "No, no! He's the Black Mage-sama, remember? He created the shield so he's…uh…immune to the effects." _'Oh I hope they are buying this.'_

"That kinda makes sense."

"Yea, that's gotta be it."

"But, wait, I thought White Mage-sama couldn't use magic here…"

"Hey, sorceress," a middle-aged, blonde man addressed Lina. "Can you use magic here? Try casting a spell"

"Who me?" Lina was sweating profusely. "Why, no, uh, of course not. I mean I can normally, but not while inside the Nullin shield. I mean no one can use magic inside this place." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

"What do you mean, Lina?" Gourry said confused. "I thought you destroyed the shield, so you should be able to use your magic just like Xellos."

There was silence in the inn. Everyone was staring at Lina and Gourry, mouths agape. Only the crash of Josie dropping another set of dishes broke the silence, but it didn't stop the shock.

Lina's eye twitched and her mouth twisted in anger as she quickly backed up to where Gourry was sitting. She reached over with adeliberate movement, wrapping her arm around Gourry's shoulder, before forcing him into a neck-crushing headlock. "Time to go Gourry!" she growled.

She dragged Gourry behind her as she sped out of the restaurant faster than a lightning bolt.

* * *

"Where is that damn Xellos!" Lina fumed, breathing heavily from the run. They were back outside Nullin, and Lina had dropped her blond companion onto the ground. Gourry was now picking himself up and dusting himself off.

Amelia and Zelgadis just looked up at Lina in confusion. They were sitting on the ground in front of a tree and held between them the Holy Magic book Zelgadis had given the princess. They had been studying it when Lina suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen him." Zelgadis finally responded. "Why? What did he do this time?"

Lina growled, clenching her fist in anger. "I was doing just fine. Wasn't casting a single spell to draw attention to myself. So, naturally, Xellos had to do it for me. The whole restaurant saw!"

Amelia buried face in her hand. "Why does this not surprise me?"

Zelgadis closed the book and handed it to Amelia, who placed it back in her cloak. "Well, I guess we'd best head out then. Don't want to still be here when the townsfolk arrive with torches and pitchforks."

"I want to make it clear for the record," Lina shouted. "That this was _not_ my fault! I didn't cast a single damn spell in there!"

"Yeah, yeah, Lina." Zelgadis began walking towards the forest. "Let's just get going."

* * *

Deep in the black void of the Astral Plane, away from any other form of astral life, a black whirling tornado floated across the landscape of nothingness. For a moment, the black cone stretched and warped, before taking the form of Xellos.

He hung there in the nothingness, arms wrapped around his chest in a human-like hug. His face was cold and stern, his eyes open slightly in quiet contemplation.

Coming to the Astral Plane and reverting to his true form seemed to do the trick. It hadn't taken him as long to recover from this attack as it had others before, giving him hope that he might be learning to control it. Each painful attack felt just as bad, if not worse, than the last, and he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

Xellos used his power to steal a glimpse into the activities of his human companions. They had apparently already started off on their own, in the direction Amelia had indicated. ' _Good_ ,' Xellos thought to himself. It meant he didn't have to prod them for now.

He had started to feel the now familiar sensation a while before he had collapsed, and had thought he could walk out of the restaurant and out of sight before succumbing. But it tackled him in an agonizing wave as he tried to escape, like a cat pouncing on its prey, mocking his attempt to resist it.

And Lina had witnessed it all. He was prepared for the possibility that Lina and the others might find out what was happening to him, but he still preferred to avoid it if he could.

' _Destroying the shield should have taken care of this,'_ Xellos grimaced to himself. Every bit of research he had done into this mark suggested it was directly connected to the shield of Nullin. So why, then, did he still have the mark, as well as these painful attacks?

He needed to find Llygad, and soon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 4: Xellos' Secret  
> His secret will be revealed, whether he likes it or not.


	4. Xellos' Secret

Zelgadis stood in the middle of a clearing, his sword clutched in his hand and his senses on high alert. His opponent was nearby, but hiding. He'd attack at any moment, and Zelgadis had to be ready.

It was dusk, and Zelgadis could see Lina and Amelia sitting on the edge of the forest, watching him while sitting on their bedrolls. They wouldn't interfere. This match was between Zelgadis and _him_.

With the night fast approaching, his eyes were not helping him, so the chimera closed them, letting his sense of hearing take over. It wasn't long before his keen ears picked up a sound, and his eyes shot open.

Zelgadis spun around, bringing his sword up above his head, and just in time. Gourry's sword came down on it with a loud metallic clang that rang through the clearing. The blonde warrior grinned down at the chimera.

"Nice one, Zel." Gourry jumped back, crouching down with his sword before him.

Gourry was not using his enchanted sword, but a rather plain steel blade he'd found on his journeys. Zelgadis' stone skin was perfectly immune to such a simple blade. Zelgadis on the other hand was using a steel practice blade he had in reserve. It could withstand the blows from Gourry's sword, but it was not sharp and would do minimal harm to the human warrior.

This was a sparring match, and neither of them wanted to do any permanent damage.

Zelgadis rushed forward, holding his sword above his head. He swung it down on the warrior, but Gourry twisted out of the way, swinging his sword to strike Zelgadis at his exposed left side. The chimera's sword had almost touched the ground where Gourry had been before he swung his sword upwards and to the left. He deflected Gourry's sword just in time.

Zelgadis jumped back, preparing to rush again. Before he could do so, Gourry sprang forward from a crouched position, swinging his sword to strike Zelgadis on his left side. The chimera quickly brought his sword down to parry, but at the last second Gourry spun in the opposite direction, his blonde hair whipping around him, and instead struck Zelgadis to the right.

The chimera was too slow to react this time, and he looked down to see Gourry's sword a mere centimeter from his exposed neck. Gourry held it there for a few moments, and grinned.

"Looks like I win again." The blonde warrior stood up, sheathing his blade, marking the end of the fight.

Zelgadis smiled, sighing in defeat as he sheathed his own weapon.

Lina cheered wildly. "Woohoo! I knew you could do it, Gourry. You're the best!"

"It shouldn't be surprising that Gourry would win in a sword fight with Zelgadis" Amelia said, smiling thoughtfully. "Gourry is the best fighter I've ever seen."

"Gourry won again, Amelia." Lina snickered at the princess. "Pay up!"

Amelia sweat-dropped. "Lina-san, I told you I don't do wagers…"

"Pay up, Amelia!"

"But I didn't make a bet…"

"I don't care, pay up!"

Amelia sighed and reached into her pouch to pull out a silver piece. "You're just doing this to exploit money out of me, aren't you?"

Zelgadis and Gourry walked back to join the girls, rolling out and preparing their own bedrolls.

"It's strange," Amelia looked around the clearing. "We're taking this journey for Xellos-san, but we haven't seen him all day. Where did he go?"

"I'm not sure," Lina said with a yawn. "He's been gone since he vanished from the restaurant."

"He would vanish like that, just to get you into trouble." Amelia shook her head. "Anything for a laugh at other people's expense."

"No, Amelia, I don't think that's why he left in such a hurry." Lina furrowed her brow in thought. "He was acting very strange just before he disappeared."

"Strange?" This got Zelgadis' attention. "Strange how?"

"Just before vanishing he started shaking, looking like he was afraid or in pain or something. I'd never seen him do something like that before, not out of the blue anyway."

"That doesn't sound like Xellos-san." Amelia spoke up again. "What do you think it was?"

"I have no idea, Amelia, I was hoping you could tell me."

"Huh?" The princess' eyes went wide. "Why me?"

"Amelia, _you_ are the one linked with Xellos." Lina brought her finger up for emphasis. "That means you had to have done something to make him react when he did."

The princess folded her arms stubbornly. "Not necessarily, Lina. It could have been something that happened in the restaurant."

"Maybe," Lina smiled, but didn't take her eyes off Amelia. "But I'm willing to bet you had some sort of happy 'Life is Wonderful' thoughts while we were in the restaurant, didn't you?"

Amelia thought back to the cave. Nothing really happened there, since they were just discussing the marks. Granted, she did have that _one_ thought, but she wasn't about to tell the sorceress about _that_.

"I don't know, Lina-san," she answered, trying to hide her blush. "Zelgadis and I spent most of our time just looking through my Holy Magic book while we waited for you."

"Ah HAH!" Lina practically jumped up, startling her companions. "Holy Magic! I bet that's what's bugging him…"

"Oh Lina-san, your theories are so entertaining." As if on cue, Xellos appeared in front of the women. "You'd save yourself a major headache if you just gave up on it now."

"Not a chance, Xellos." Lina grinned. "There's a mystery surrounding you and I won't rest till I find out what it is."

Xellos frowned. "But what if I don't want you to find out what it is?"

"Tough! I'm gonna find out one way or another!"

The Mazoku's grin came back. "Well what if I told you I have the flu?"

"Do I look stupid to you?"

"Lina!" Zelgadis interrupted. "This is going to get us nowhere. You know he'll never tell us."

Lina folded her arms stubbornly. "The very fact that Xellos decided to show up at this moment just shows that I'm on to something, right?" She glanced back at the Mazoku.

Xellos smiled wide. "I only came because you are clearly prepping for sleep, and I came to keep watch as I had agreed to do. I'm afraid I can't tell you whether your amusing theories were accurate or not, Lina-san."

"See? Right there, I now _know_ I'm onto something. So is it Amelia or the Holy Magic book? Come on, spill it, Xellos!"

Xellos chose to ignore the sorceress. "Well, I highly suggest you all get plenty of sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us in the morning!"

* * *

Amelia was in the middle of Nullin again, standing before the beautifully decorated and undamaged shrine that housed the Magical Fusion altar. She had no memory of how she got there, but it didn't look quite the same as she remembered.

She watched as people shuffled by, performing their daily duties. She saw a woman with two young children in tow, buying bread at the nearby bakery. She saw a young man, his face flushed, looking to buy some flowers for. _'For his love perhaps?'_ Amelia mused.

No one paid her any heed. She also didn't recognize any of them, which was strange as she had met so many people when she was in the city. You would think _someone_ would look familiar.

Gazing around, it seemed as though nobody could even _see_ her. They all looked past her as they went about their work. Everyone save one person.

She was easy to spot. And, unlike everyone else, she _did_ look familiar. "Filia-san?"

The moment her name was spoken, Filia ran to Amelia, throwing her arms around the princess in a tight hug. "Amelia-san! It's so good to see you."

"Filia-san, what are you doing here?" Amelia asked as they separated. "Better yet, what am _I_ doing here?"

"Where we are is not important," Filia responded, smiling at the princess with large green eyes. "I've come to tell you the secrets that Xellos has been so cruelly keeping from you."

"His secrets?" Now Amelia was really intrigued.

Filia reached down and picked up Amelia's left hand, the hand with the mark on it. "You got this mark from performing Magical Fusion with Xellos," the dragon priestess said as she touched the mark with a white-gloved hand, running her fingers along it. Amelia watched Filia's hand, mesmerized. "He won't tell you the significance of it, but it is as important to you as it is to him. You have the right to know, Amelia-san."

Amelia looked back up from their hands to say something, but her words caught in her throat as she saw her surroundings again. They were no longer outside of the shrine, but _inside_ , standing before the altar for the Magical Fusion ceremony. The place resembled the inside of a church, with pews lined up behind them. Amelia remembered these same pews being damaged when she and Zelgadis fought Xellos before the Magical Fusion ceremony, but now they were new and untouched.

Filia walked past Amelia to the cabinet that stood behind the altar. The princess simply watched the dragon priestess as she opened it, retrieving a familiar golden jewelry box. She pulled the box out and brought it over to Amelia.

"Most believe that the altar is the only part of the ceremony that creates Fusion." Filia opened the box, revealing the pink cushion and two rings inside. "But these rings, unbeknownst to the original creators, create a fusion all their own."

The rings were golden wedding bands with stones embedded in them, a red in one and a blue in the other. Amelia reached out and picked up the blue ring, the one she had worn during the Magical Fusion ceremony; the one that allegedly left a mark on her hand. She looked at it closely, noticing the unfamiliar writing engraved on the gold band. The blue stone had an image of a dragon inside.

"These rings are ancient Elmekian wedding bands." Filia continued. "They were popular 500 years ago, because the jewel crafters tapped into ancient magic, Soul Link magic, when they were created. The crafters thought they would forge a tie between wedded lovers that would strengthen their bond.

"What the inventors didn't realize was that Soul Link magic is only capable of establishing balance where there is none. Two people whose souls are in balance are unaffected by the magic. When this was realized, the rings stopped selling and became worthless."

Filia paused, looking at Amelia to gauge her reaction. Amelia simply stared back curiously.

"Most of these rings were melted down for the gold, but a handful survived, like these." Filia picked up the red ring, twisting it in her fingers. "And the First Couple, thinking they were benign, transformed them into Magical Amplification rings. This, unintentionally, helped to increase the strength of the Soul Link, as well as any other form of magic it amplified. This is the reason the Magical Fusion ceremony also able to fuse you to Xellos"

"Wha? Fused?" The princess wasn't sure she liked the sound of this.

"So to speak. It's more like a constant connection."

"That doesn't sound much better," Amelia responded nervously. Granted, she had already made _that_ assumption.

"Amelia-san, the link does nothing to you. You are human and your soul is in balance. A Mazoku, however, his soul is not in balance. And, thus, the Soul Link has a dramatic effect on him."

And that was the her queue to ask the question she wanted so desperately to know. "What kind of effect does it have on Xellos?"

Filia smiled sweetly, looking down at the red ring again. "I'm….not sure."

Amelia face-vaulted.

"But your chimera friend knows about Soul Links. It is my understanding that Rezo-sama was proficient in the magic."

"My chimera friend?" She'd never heard Filia refer to him that way. "You mean Zelgadis-san?"

"Yes, Zelgadis-san."

"So," Amelia stood up again, trying to wrap her confused mind around the whole mess. "If it has no effect on me, why are you telling me all this?"

Filia placed the Black Magic Ring back in the box. Amelia followed suit with the White Magic one, and Filia closed the box, returning it to the cabinet.

"Amelia-san," she said as she closed the cabinet door. She turned to face the princess, her expression forceful and determined, almost frightening. "This is the chance of a lifetime for you. Xellos is more vulnerable now than he has ever been. This is your opportunity to redeem him!"

"Heh?" Amelia could only stare at Filia in confusion. She wasn't expecting to hear that.

"Didn't you want to reform Xellos-san ever since you found out he was a Mazoku? You told him you wanted him to denounce his evil ways and become a human! I'm telling you that this your opportunity to do so!"

Amelia looked nervous and sweat-dropped. "I think he made it clear he can't turn into a human, Filia-san."

"Maybe not an actual human," Filia continued, her eyes wide and excited, "But with your pure, shrine-maiden soul linked with Xellos, you have the chance to redeem _his_ soul and make him good instead of evil."

"Wha…" Amelia's mind was reeling, and she backed away from Filia's intense and frightening stare. "But…but he's a _Mazoku_. I don't think the Race of Evil is redeemable."

"Think about it, Amelia-san? Why do you think Xellos is so desperate to severe your link? He knows what I say is true, and the thought frightens him. You have an opportunity of a lifetime here, and I'm urging you not to let it slip."

"You've got to be kidding!" This all seemed way over the top. "I'm pretty sure what you are asking me simply cannot be done. So just how do you expect me to do it?"

Amelia had a lot more questions to ask, but it was just at that moment that she abruptly woke up from her strange dream.

* * *

Amelia could not get back to sleep, so she reluctantly folded back her bed roll and sat up. The fire was still crackling, and she could see Zelgadis' form next to her. His steady breathing suggested he was still out, so her actions did not appear to have disturbed him. Lina and Gourry were still asleep on the other side.

Everyone was asleep except for her. Her and the one among them who didn't sleep at all.

She looked around until she spotted him, sitting in a nearby tree. Xellos was lounging on a branch, seemingly looking up at the sky, one leg swinging over the edge in a lazy manner. She did not escape his notice, however, and he turned to look back down at her.

"Something you find fascinating about me all of a sudden, Amelia-san?" he asked. She blushed, only then realizing she had been staring at him, all the time thinking of her dream.

She turned her head away before acknowledging him. "I had a strange dream."

He looked at her curiously, though he seemed more interested in why she would even bother telling him such a silly thing. "Okay."

"About your secret."

This got a bit of a chuckle out of him. "Really? Did you have some sort of visionary dream about my big secret?"

"What is a Soul Link?"

Xellos stopped chuckling, and his eyes opened as he looked at her. "What is a _what_?"

"Soul Link. I was told in my dream it is an ancient form of magic. Something about bringing balance to a soul."

Xellos looked at her curiously, studying her, before letting a friendly smile cross his lips again. "Indeed it is. It's a very old form of healing magic."

Xellos jumped down from the branch of his tree, casually walking over to Amelia. He kneeled down next to her, bringing himself to her eye level. "But why the sudden interest in ancient healing magic, Amelia-san? Thinking of becoming a sage?"

Xellos' reaction made it difficult for the princess to tell if everything she heard was true or not, and his close proximity made her nervous. She turned away, shaking her head. "No, Filia-san just said Soul Link magic was your big secret. She didn't tell me how."

"Filia-san?" Xellos spoke the name as if the very source were proof enough of the ridiculousness of the whole thing. He smirked and shook his head. "That's all rather presumptuous wouldn't you think? It was just a dream Amelia-san. Don't trouble yourself over it so mu…"

Xellos was cut off by the rustling of the bedroll next to Amelia's. Zelgadis sat up, and looked straight at the Mazoku.

"You have a Soul Link with Amelia?" Zelgadis narrowed his eyes, studying him. "Really?"

Amelia turned back to Xellos, and found his expression had changed dramatically. His face was completely serious, and he stared at Zelgadis intensely. His lips were pursed, and Amelia could swear he looked… _nervous_.

Zelgadis smiled triumphantly. "Lina! Gourry! Wake up!"

* * *

Once everyone had woken up, (Lina doing so only under great protest) they all sat around the fire. Xellos had now joined them, his expression unreadable, but he was _not_ smiling.

"Damnit all, I need my beauty sleep! What the hell is this all about, Zelgadis?"

"Trust me, Lina, this is worth it." He looked to the princess. "Amelia had an interesting dream last night."

"A dream?" Lina glared at Zelgadis. 'You woke me up because of a stupid dream?"

Amelia glared at Lina. "I've been a shrine-maiden long enough to recognize the difference between a 'dream' and a 'vision,' Lina-san."

"You and your stupid prophesies." Lina yawned, allowing herself a good stretch before continuing. "Alright, tell us about this 'vision' of yours."

Amelia proceeded to described her dream to them, in as much detail as she could remember. They all listened curiously, stealing a glance at Xellos every once in awhile. The Mazoku was unusually quiet, and only stared at Amelia with frightening intensity.

Lina spoke up. "So is it true, Xellos? Did the Magical Fusion ceremony create some sort of Soul Fusion too?"

"It's true," Xellos said. He continued to stare at the princess, and Amelia could feel a chill go down her spine. "I'm not sure how Filia-san could possibly know that, however. Assuming that was even Filia-san."

"Yea," Lina said. "For all we know it could just be a projection of Filia. Honestly, though, whoever sent you this dream would have to be someone to be reckoned with. Planting suggestions through dreams is fairly easy magic, but to actually enter a dream and interact with the target is usually the strict territory of the Lord of Nightmares. Only someone who's really powerful or really stupid would dare go there."

Gourry put his finger to his head in thought. "Maybe Xellos sent her the dream."

"I didn't want all of you knowing about this," Xellos countered, his eyes wandering to Gourry. "I most certainly wouldn't have sent Amelia-san a dream telling her my secrets. And even if I had, I wouldn't have sent _Filia-_ san."

"Oh come on, Xellos," Lina teased. "We all know you couldn't help sending an image of your 'true love.'"

Xellos bristled. "She's _not_ my true love, Lina-san!"

"Forget the woman for a minute," Zelgadis spoke up. "It's the spell we should be concentrating on. I'd like to know what kind of effect it could have on Xellos."

"I'm more interested in the woman, actually," Xellos spoke up.

"Well of course you are," Lina snickered. "Too bad for you, we're not." She turned her attention back to Zelgadis. "Speaking of which, Zel, Filia said you know all about the subject. Care to share?"

Zelgadis leaned back, furrowing his brow as he searched his memories. "Yeah, I know of it. It's an ancient healing magic that Rezo knew, but I've only seen him do it once."

Amelia was very intrigued. "What did it heal?"

"It healed diseases of the mind." Zelgadis continued. "In the case I saw, he found a young boy in a village who had suffered a head injury the previous year. It caused him to become severely depressed, to the point that he hadn't even smiled since the accident.

"Rezo crafted a couple of necklaces and imbued them with Soul Link magic. He gave one to the boy, and the other he gave to his very cheerful little sister. The effect was immediate. As soon as the two put the necklaces on, the boy smiled for the first time in over a year."

"But how did that work?" Amelia scratched her head in confusion.

"Think of it this way, Amelia." Zelgadis turned to the princess. "The injury the boy suffered most likely caused him to lose his ability to be happy. The Soul Link magic creates a link between him and his sister, who _is_ capable of happiness. This link serves as kind of an anchor to help remind them what it was like to be happy again."

"Oh, I think I see," Amelia said thinking to herself, her brow creased with worry. "So, then, what does that mean for me?"

"I honestly don't know." Zelgadis shook his head. "I've only ever heard of Soul Linking being done among humans, and usually with family members or loved ones. I have never heard of a Mazoku being involved with one."

"Filia might be right." Lina interjected. "As far as I know humans, because we are between the Mazoku and the Gods, have the full range of emotions Since Amelia is…well, _mostly_ mentally sound…"

"HEY!"

"…Maybe she doesn't have anything to worry about. Mazoku, on the other hand, are supposedly missing some of those emotions by design. And from what I know of Xellos, I'm pretty sure it isn't 'happiness' like it was for the little boy."

Xellos gave a slight smile at Lina's comment, despite looking like he wanted to go hide under a rock somewhere.

Zelgadis ignored the Mazoku and addressed Lina. "So then, what is it? What emotions do humans have that Mazoku do not?"

Amelia's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh I bet it's _love_ , isn't it? Does this mean Xellos-san can now…"

"You _would_ think that, Amelia," Lina frowned at the princess. Even Xellos looked at the princess in confusion, like he'd just been insulted.

Lina rubbed her chin in thought. "No, I don't think it's love. I vaguely remember reading something about this subject. Something about Mazoku being unable to feel…"

Lina stopped, her eyes suddenly going wide with realization. Her face contorted, and before everyone knew it, Lina was on the ground, laughing hysterically. "Oh, no, it can't be! Xellos is….oh that's too _hilarious_!"

"Lina-san it's not that funny!" Xellos whined. He knew she'd figured it out. "It's unbearable."

"Oh I _bet_ it is," Lina chortled.

"Lina," Zelgadis glared at the sorceress. "Care to let us know what we haven't realized yet?"

Lina sat up, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, you guys, just think about it for a minute. What kind of emotions do you think a Mazoku, who feeds off the negative emotions of human beings, would be lacking?"

Amelia was dumbfounded. After awhile, Zelgadis suddenly grinned and chuckled to himself. "Oh my, you can't mean…" The chimera was trying to stifle an uncharacteristic laugh.

"That's right," Lina stood up triumphantly, walking over to a very nervous Xellos. She gave him a hearty slap on the back. "Congratulations, Xellos. You have now grown a conscience."

Xellos whimpered.

* * *

The forest was very quiet at this time of night. Only the sound of chirping crickets, and a distant howling wolf, broke the night's silence.

Everyone was staring, slack jawed, at Xellos and Lina. The Mazoku's head was hung down, his hair completely obscuring his face.

"You…you're _kidding_?" Amelia finally stammered out.

Lina smiled smugly as she began to recite. " _'Mazoku are incapable of feeling guilt, remorse, and sympathy.'_ That's what the book I read said. Mazoku feed off the negative emotions of humans, which they love to bring out of us in abundance. They inflict pain, anger, and despair whenever they fight us so they can increase their own power. For this reason, they cannot feel guilt or remorse since it would interfere with their ability to make us miserable. They can't feel any guilt or sympathy at all."

She snickered evilly as she looked at Xellos. "With one exception of course."

Xellos looked up at Lina-san, glaring at her. "I really wish you wouldn't mock me over this, Lina-san. This is quite serious to me."

Zelgadis chuckled. "Oh if anything warrants mocking it's _this_."

Amelia furrowed her brow in thought. "I had never thought of a Mazoku not having a conscience, but I guess it makes sense." Amelia turned to Zelgadis and Lina. "But what does this mean for Xellos-san?"

"It means he'll be causing a whole lot less trouble." Zelgadis answered smugly.

Amelia turned back to Xellos again. "Is this true Xellos-san?"

Xellos gave a small smile. "Well, I can still have _some_ fun. There are limits to the effects of the new conscience you gave me, Amelia-san."

"Yeah," Lina glared. "It certainly didn't stop you from making me smack my face against an invisible shield, did it?"

"You smacked your own face against that shield, Lina-san. Why would I feel guilty about that?"

Lina growled and started rolling up her sleeves. A gentle hand on her shoulder from Gourry was the only thing that stopped her.

"So just what does make you feel guilty?" Amelia asked. She still wasn't sure what to make of all this.

"That is suppose to be a secret, Amelia-san."

"He probably has to hurt someone directly for it to affect him." Lina said with a shrug. "That's my guess, anyway."

"Good!" Zelgadis chimed in. "That would mean that your threats from earlier are completely hollow. In your condition, there's no way you could kill Amelia."

Xellos eyes became downcast again. "Yes, I'm afraid that's true. I couldn't hurt Amelia-san even if I wanted to."

Amelia stared wide-eyed and gape mouthed at the Mazoku.

"And," Zelgadis stood up suddenly. "That means we can now end this stupid quest and get on with our lives. If you can't hurt Amelia, then you have nothing on us, Xellos!"

"Which is why," Xellos calmly stated, "I won't be the one killing her."

Everyone looked at Xellos again, the worry returning.

Xellos continued. "Beastmaster-sama and I are aware that my condition would make the task of getting rid of Amelia-san very difficult for me. So if I don't find a way to remove the marks, and in a timely manner, my master will be sending someone to kill her for me."

There was a heavy silence in the air, and Amelia found herself edging closer to Zelgadis, nervously.

Lina gave a mock laugh to break the awkward silence. "Oh, well in that case, I guess we're back where we started. But I gotta say, it sure takes a lot of the bite out of ya, doesn't it Xellos?"

Xellos buried his head in his hand. "Lina-san, you have no idea."

"But I'm still wondering, Xellos," Lina looked at the Mazoku curiously. "What was it in the restaurant that made you have an attack? You didn't cop a feel on that waitress while she was holding you, did you?"

Xellos looked up at Lina wide-eyed and offended. "Of course not, Lina-san. What do you take me for?"

Lina smiled wickedly, "Well unless you tell me, that's what I'm going to assume, you _pervert_."

Xellos glared at her, but shook his head in defeat. "It had nothing to do with Josie-san. It was our hostess commenting on how most of the men died during the Fusion ceremony that caused my reaction."

"Why would that…?"

"Because he killed them all," Zelgadis' interrupted, his voice cold and hateful. "Before the Magical Fusion ceremony. Most of the men in Nullin were guarding the shrine and he came and wiped them out with a single spell." He narrowed his eyes at Xellos. "Many of them were my friends."

Xellos didn't look at the chimera. His eyes were downcast, but he said nothing.

"Sorry to hear that, Zel." Lina's voice became hushed, but firm. "But he is a Mazoku, after all." _'And leave it to Xellos to prefer being thought of as a mass murderer rather than a pervert.'_

Amelia stood up suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to her. She gazed down at Xellos, a familiar gleam in her eye that made everyone, especially the Mazoku, sweat-drop.

"I get it now, Filia-san!" She stood at her full height, proud and regal. She brought her fist up, clenching it so tight her arm shook. "I understand what you were saying. Now that Xellos-san has a conscience, you are right! He can be reformed, and in the name of Justice I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will dedicate my life to saving Xellos-san!"

"Oh no," was all Xellos could get out, before an excited Amelia leaped towards him. She knelt down to be at his sitting-eye level, and picked up his hand, holding it in both of hers. She stared at him intensely, her eyes shining, and Xellos could only look back in sheer panic.

"Now that you can feel remorse, Xellos-san, I know deep down that you can be saved! You can strike down the evil that has lived in your heart for so many centuries and become a warrior of Love and Justice!"

"Amelia-san I don't think I ca…" Xellos tried to speak, but was drowned out by the overenthusiastic princess.

"By the pure light that fills my soul, Xellos-san, I promise to do whatever it takes to save you. I will be the shining beacon to your darkness, leading you from the evil path that you have followed for so long! Together, we can provide peace and justice to the many souls you have victimized, and gain forgiveness from all of those you have wronged."

Xellos tried to pull his hand from Amelia's, but she held it fast. He could only stare back at her, a slight whimper escaping his lips, as she continued with her painful speech.

"And I know, deep in your heart," the princess said as a tears formed in her eyes, "That you feel sorry for all of the dreadful things you have done. I know, also, that you must feel awful for the terrible things you did to Zelgadis and me during the Magical Fusion ceremony!"

Xellos had a brief look of confusion at Amelia's words, before setting his mouth somberly, hanging his head down and letting his hair fall back over his face again.

"It's okay, Xellos-san!" Amelia said, squeezing his hand reassuringly, blinking away her tears. "There's hope for you, now. I can forgive you for everything you've done! Just tell me how you feel, and the healing can begin!"

Amelia stared at him intently, unable to see his face behind his hair. Xellos finally looked up at her, staring her straight in the eye. But his expression did not show guilt or sadness. Instead, he grinned at Amelia mischievously.

"Oh, I'm afraid you are mistaken Amelia-san. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I have absolutely no remorse for what I did to you and Zelgadis-san during the Fusion ceremony."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 5: Justified Actions  
> Just what kind of moral code would a 1000 year old Mazoku with a conscience have, anyway?


	5. Justified Actions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clarify that I'm writing this story purely as a form of entertainment, and not to teach any type of moral lesson whatsoever. The feelings and beliefs expressed by Xellos and the rest of the Slayers gang do not reflect the feelings or opinions of this author, but only the morals I believe the characters would have.
> 
> So, please, don't lynch me.

Xellos' words snapped Amelia out of her Justice Speech and she stared back at him, mouth agape.

"Wha…what?"

"I don't feel guilty about it." Xellos repeated, grinning. "I have no reason to."

Zelgadis growled. "No reason? After what you did?"

Xellos pulled his hand out of Amelia's stunned grasp, looking back at the bewildered princess. "I've performed countless terrible deeds that I cannot justify in my lifetime. The men of Nullin are among them," his voice cracked slightly, as though to emphasize it. "I did that purely for fun, and not because I had to. And, because of that, I felt the terrible guilt of it when the memory was brought to my attention. It takes time for me to control that feeling so that I can even speak of it like this."

"But Amelia-san, in your case I did everything I possibly could to avoid doing what I did to you and Zelgadis-san. I was ordered to perform that ceremony, and you two tried to stop me. You left me with no choice. I did what I had to do, and I have no remorse for it."

"Did what you…" Amelia started shaking, and the tears in her eyes were no longer tears of joy. "You tried to have me killed! How do you justify that?"

"I did everything I could to save you, Amelia-san." His eyes were piercing and frightening, and Amelia leaned back from her kneeled position. "Putting less power into the shield was not the plan of my Master, that was _my_ idea. I didn't want to see you die."

"It wouldn't have saved me though." Amelia clenched her fists in anger. "You still would have killed me had Zelgadis-san not stepped in!"

Xellos sighed and shook his head, as though speaking to an ignorant child. "Amelia-san, if I had put my full power into the shield the way I did 100 years ago, it wouldn't have mattered what Zelgadis-san or you did. You would have been completely consumed by my power."

"But you tortured Zelgadis-san!" She was trembling now, her fists shaking in rage. "There's absolutely no justification for _torture_!"

"Those are _your_ principles, Amelia-san." Xellos narrowed his eyes. "Don't assume that just because I've never had a conscience before that I don't understand them perfectly. It is the mark of a true high-ranking Mazoku to know how human guilt and ethics work. It lets us use your own guilt against you.

"You gave me a conscience, Amelia-san, but the moral code behind it is _mine_ , not yours." The Mazoku snickered. "And thank goodness for that. I'd hate to think of myself inheriting your laughable ideals."

"Whoa! Whoa, Xellos!" Lina intervened. "Don't be so harsh! What's gotten into you?"

The Mazoku ignored her, however, his gaze entirely focused on a very hurt Amelia. "And there is something else you should consider, Amelia-san, before you speak of reforming me." He narrowed his eyes at her. "This link we share may not be affecting just _me_."

Amelia's eyes went wide with terror and she fell back from Xellos.

"Xellos, what are you talking about?" Zelgadis tried to come to Amelia's defense. "That's not how the Soul Link works."

"Are you so sure?" Xellos turned to Zelgadis. "You claim the Soul Link does nothing to one individual, but you also mentioned this has never been done with a Mazoku before." He leaned back, looking very smug. "I find it hard to believe my link will have no effect on her. Wouldn't you agree, Amelia-san?"

Amelia said nothing, her body trembling yet again. She brought her hand up, staring at the black mark on her finger in horror.

"Amelia!" Lina jumped in. "Don't listen to him, he's just trying to upset…"

Lina wasn't able to finish as Amelia suddenly jumped up and ran in the opposite direction, away from the camp and everyone in it. She disappeared into the forest before anyone could react.

"Damn it, Xellos!" Zelgadis leaped up, grabbing the Mazoku by his shirt front. Xellos was far more powerful than he, but the Mazoku's newly discovered weakness gave the chimera a bit more confidence. "What kind of games are you playing now?"

Gourry looked on after Amelia. "Wow, Xellos sure turned the tables on her quick, didn't he?"

His observation was rewarded by a bonk on the head from Lina. "Shutup, Gourry. Zel!" Lina screamed at the chimera. "You idiot! Stop messing with him and go after Amelia!"

Zelgadis hesitated, glancing at Lina. Then with a snarl he threw Xellos to the ground and ran in the direction Amelia fled. It wasn't long before he disappeared into the forest as well.

Lina turned back to the Mazoku, glaring menacingly. "I sure hope you are feeling guilty about this, Xellos. What you did to Amelia was appalling."

Xellos glanced up at Lina as he sat up again, and it was clear from the smirk on his face that he did not, in fact, feel guilty at all. "Lina-san, all I did was tell Amelia-san she has the potential to be a little more like me. I'd have to have a lot of self-loathing to feel any remorse for that."

"Damnit, Xellos, even with a conscience, you are a complete asshole!"

Xellos stood up, picking his staff up off the ground. Lina searched his face for any sign of guilt. She saw none, but she did see one emotion she rarely saw on Xellos.

He was _furious_. But not, apparently, at Amelia.

"Well, if that little fiasco is finally over," he sneered, looking off in the opposite direction the princess had run. "I'm afraid I have to be going."

"What? Now?"

"Don't worry, Lina-san, I'll return shortly. I'm simply off to check on something."

Lina didn't have a chance to say another word before Xellos vanished into thin air.

* * *

Once again, Zelgadis found himself being a little grateful to the Red Priest Rezo for giving him his chimera form. As much as he hated it, it did give him a lot of advantages over a normal human. Invulnerability to most weapons, increased strength, and hearing keen enough to find a crying girl in a dense forest.

He slowed down as he got closer, pushing a prickly bush aside. He found Amelia kneeling over a small stream. Her back was to Zelgadis, but he could see her scooping up water from the stream and splashing her face with it repeatedly.

"Amelia." His voice was soft, but it still startled her and she spun around in a sitting position. When she saw who it was she calmed down, putting her hand to her chest.

"Zelgadis-san, you surprised me." Her face and tunic were soaking wet, but it didn't hide the redness around her eyes. It was also a good thing she wore a dark shirt under her now transparent white tunic. It was quite distracting, but Zelgadis took a deep breath, reminding himself why he was actually here.

Zelgadis walked up and sat down next to her by the stream, resting his arms on his knees. Amelia watched him, but made no other moves.

Once the chimera was settled, he looked over at Amelia, his expression tender and concerned. "You do realize Xellos is just trying to torment you, right?"

Amelia hung her head, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know, Zelgadis-san. Ever since the Magical Fusion ceremony, I've been very angry and sad all the time. I can't help but think…"

"That's because you went through hell in Nullin," he interrupted, trying to be both forceful and gentle as he spoke. "Anyone would be a little angry and depressed after all that. It has nothing to do with the marks, Amelia."

"How do we know for sure?" She looked straight at Zelgadis with a fervent gaze. "How do we know it was that and not this darkness I now have attached to my soul? Filia in my dream said that I could reform Xellos-san because of our link, but who's to say he can't corrupt me too?"

Zelgadis chuckled at the comment. "I can't imagine even Xellos being able to corrupt you, Amelia. This is the same girl who gave her beloved horse to a dying woman just so she wouldn't have to walk all the way home." He put a hand on her shoulder. "And you had the mark then. Don't forget that."

Amelia moved herself closer to the chimera, resting her head on his shoulder. Zelgadis wrapped his arm around her.

"I know about that spell, Amelia," he continued as he stroked her black hair. "Humans live between the Gods and Mazoku. We have all the emotions bestowed upon both, and the spell doesn't amplify them. They only replace what is lost. The link you have with Xellos will have no effect on you at all, I promise."

"From the way Xellos-san was talking," Amelia whispered, "I'm starting to think it has no effect on him, either."

Zelgadis gave her a gentle squeeze, thinking for a moment. "I think we should expect he'd be smart enough to get around a lot of normal guilt. Xellos is over 1,000 years old, and as he said, he's studied the human conscience. It's safe to assume he also knows how to control it to a certain degree."

"Justification." Amelia narrowed her eyes, balling her hands into fists. "He uses justice to do it. It makes me so sick."

"Amelia," Zelgadis tried once again to make his voice soothing, though he had no idea whether he was successful or not. "I think it might be a good idea to stay away from Xellos as much as possible."

She pulled away from the chimera just enough to look at him, curiously. "Why? You said he can't hurt me?"

"He can't _physically_ hurt you," he clarified. "But I think he made it clear he can find other ways to harm you, Amelia, and I just think it's best to avoid him."

"But Filia-san wanted me to try and reform him."

"Amelia, I'm pretty sure the woman in your dream wasn't really Filia."

Amelia looked back at Zelgadis in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I had a dream about her, too."

Her jaw dropped in surprise, but she didn't say anything, so he continued. "She didn't say much to me, so I didn't think much of it, but there was something very odd about her."

"Then who is she?" Amelia asked expectantly.

Zelgadis shook his head. "I honestly don't know. But she can enter dreams, and she knows Xellos better than Xellos would like. Whoever she is, she is certainly someone of interest."

Amelia looked away from him in thought, then sighed and nodded. She rested her head on his stone shoulder again, and he wrapped both arms around her possessively. He pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet feminine smell.

Zelgadis had another reason for wanting Amelia to stay away from the Mazoku than fear of her being hurt. It had been one thing when all three of them had been linked together by the Fusion Magic. But when his link had been severed, and hers left intact with that damn Mazoku, it had left Zelgadis more than a little apprehensive.

Soul Link magic, because of the way it worked, was a very intimate connection. The effects may have been barely noticeable to those affected by it, but it did create a direct and constant connection between two souls. It was the reason the magic was only used among family and loved ones. No man in his right mind would want to see the woman he loved linked with his worst enemy in that way.

Zelgadis placed a hand on Amelia's hair, stroking it lovingly. He had told her not to worry, to ease her mind, but he couldn't shake his own concerns so effortlessly. There was always that possibility, no matter how slim, that Xellos was right. What if the marks did have an effect on Amelia? What if being linked to a Mazoku, a creature that was pure soul, could have a terrible impact on a mere human? He didn't want to consider it, but the thoughts kept creeping into his head no matter how many times he tried to drive them away.

The sooner Amelia severed her tie with Xellos, the better.

* * *

From the Astral Plane, Xellos could travel much faster than on foot. His destination would have taken months for a human on foot, but he should be arriving in a few hours.

He had told Amelia that he didn't feel guilty about what he did to her and Zelgadis at the shrine, which was the truth. What he didn't tell her, however, was that justifying past actions was a lot easier than present and future ones. After all, the past was the past and there was nothing he could do about it. But if he had been asked to do the same thing at the Magical Fusion ceremony with his new conscience, he would not have been able to do it. He wouldn't have been able to lift a finger to hurt Zelgadis or Amelia. And such a failure to perform his mission would have left him in a terrible situation with his Master.

This curse left him completely pacified. He couldn't hurt, maim, or kill anyone without being thrown into intense and crippling pain. Thankfully, it seemed that was the limit to his new emotion, but it was still enough to prevent him from performing his proper duties to his Beastmaster-sama.

And if that wasn't bad enough, it seems someone else had found out his secret and felt the need to reveal it to his companions. He narrowed his eyes at the thought as he hastened through the Astral Plane. He was going to get to the bottom of this. One way or another.

It didn't take long for Xellos to reach his destination. He now stood outside a small, humble shop in the outerworld. A small pink pot-shaped sign outside the front door held a picture of a mace and pottery. Taking a quick glance in the window showed many different shapes and sizes of pottery lining the wall, and the counter was being tended by a fox-beastman with an eye patch.

Xellos could not see Filia, but this was her home and he knew she would come back here eventually. Filia was a golden dragon, the last of the clan of the Fire Dragon King. After the defeat of Dark Star, she moved here, taking human form now and living inside this human village in the outerworld.

She had also become the caretaker for Val, the last of the ancient dragons. He had been reborn as an egg three years before, and had hatched just last year.

He walked around the shop towards the back, where he found another window with the curtains drawn. The curtains did nothing to prevent him from knowing what was inside, and he grinned to himself.

His teleportation into the curtained room did not go unnoticed. A small dragon, no bigger than a cat, looked up at him.

The hatchling had a long, thin, black-scaled body with equally black feathers covering his small wings and long tail. Small tufts of turquoise hair stuck out from the top of his reptilian head. The little dragon had thin, reptilian hind legs that ended in small claws, but his forelegs were more human-like, with elongated digits and opposable thumbs that also ended in small claws. One of his clawed hands held a wooden toy horse that he had apparently been playing with before being interrupted.

"Well, hello Val-kun." Xellos kneeled down to put himself closer to the eye level of the tiny dragon.

"Hello," The hatchling answered back politely, his voice like that of a very young child. Val's exceptionally large eyes were an orange color, and they stared at Xellos with unbridled curiosity. "Who are you?"

"My name is Xellos. We've met, but I doubt you remember me since it was before your rebirth."

The little dragon looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Xellos merely grinned, waving away the last bit of conversation. "It's so sad to see you cooped up all alone back here, Val-kun. Too young to take a human shape, I take it?"

The hatchling glared at him. "Mommy is teachin' me, but I can't do it yet."

"I'm sure you are a very fast learner. So what are you doing now, Val-kun?"

The little dragon looked down at the wooden horse he had clutched in his claws. "I'm just playin' wif' my horsey."

"Looks like a lot of fun. Mind if I play too?"

Val's eyes went wide with delight. "Yeah! Yeah!"

Xellos lifted up a finger and pointed it at the wooden horse clutched in the hatchling's 'hands.' The toy began to tremble, and Val let go of it in surprise. Before long, the little wooden horse began to twitch and move, then leaped forward, whinnying and prancing about like a real horse.

The little hatchling laughed delightedly at the sight of his favorite toy moving about. He jumped in an attempt to catch it, but a quick flick of Xellos' finger and the horse leaped just out of reach.

Val leaped and pranced about the room like a playful kitten, giggling and chasing the horse as Xellos continued to manipulate it with his pointed finger. You'd never know that this playful dragonling was once an ancient dragon turned Mazoku, and hell bent on destroying and purifying the world.

Xellos heard the ring of the shop doorbell, and he smiled to himself. He already knew it wasn't a customer, and the newcomer was coming this way fast.

"So glad you are having fun, Val-kun." Xellos closed his hand, allowing the horse to stop where it was. The hatchling jumped onto the horse, easily catching it in his claws. "But, oh look, your mommy is home!"

Xellos suddenly vanished, just in time as a large, ugly black mace smashed down where he had just been crouched. The mace broke right through the floor, sending splinters of wood all about.

"Hello, Filia-san!" Xellos said, now having appeared on a bookshelf nearby. "Glad to see you haven't changed a bit."

Filia pulled her mace forcefully from the wooden floor, sending more splinters into the air. She was in human form, looking very much like the woman from Amelia's dream. "Xellos!" The dragon priestess glared at Xellos with angry blue eyes. "What are you doing here you filthy piece of garbage?"

Xellos' eye twitched and he grimaced at the dragon priestess. He just couldn't understand how she could get to him, but she always did so impressively.

He swallowed his pride long enough to manage another friendly grin. "I was just playing with Val-kun here." He turned to the hatchling. "And we were having a blast, weren't we?"

"Yeah!" Val cheered. "He made my horsey run 'round wif magic!"

Filia growled in response, her hands clutching her mace with such force it made her knuckles turn white. "How dare you use your evil Mazoku magic on Val's toys, Xellos! Now I'm going to have to burn the thing!"

"NOOoo!" Val cried, clutching his wooden horse to him.

"Now really, Filia-san," Xellos grimaced at the dragon priestess. "It's not like a put a curse on it."

"How do I know? It's exactly the sort of thing you would do!" She swung her mace up again to hit Xellos, but just as before he vanished, and her mace came crashing down on the bookshelf instead.

"Mommy!" Val cried in a panic, his large eyes welling up with tears. "You're wrecking my room!"

"Yes, Filia-san, you really should calm down before you crush his entire childhood under that ridiculous mace of yours." Xellos was now over by the door, grinning mischievously as always.

Filia was still clutching her mace, which was imbedded in the shattered bookcase. She released the handle, letting her hands drop to her sides in defeat. She rushed over to Val, kneeling down to pick him up in her arms. "Oh, Val-kun, Mommy is so sorry."

"That's better," Xellos bent down on one knee to address the golden dragon. "Now, I'm wondering if we could have a civil conversation long enough to ask you a question, Filia-san."

She looked up at Xellos and glared. "There's nothing civil about a Mazoku."

Xellos sighed. "Filia-san, I'm not the one threatening to burn a small child's toys. You're not a very good mother, are you?"

Filia growled, showing unusually sharp teeth. A long, golden tail stuck out from under pink frilly dress, straight out and shivering with her anger.

"I only came here, Filia-san," he brought up a finger for emphasis, taking advantage of her too-angry-to-talk mode, "to ask you a simple question. Answer it and I promise I will be on my way."

She put Val down and stood up straight, her fists and teeth still tightly clenched. "Fine! What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you've been in contact with Amelia-san lately."

This brought Filia instantly out of her anger as her expression changed to confusion. "Amelia-san? Well, no I had no reason to contact her. Why? Did something happen?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Xellos waved his hands dismissively. "Except that someone who she says looks like you has been entering her dreams and speaking to her. I came here to find out if it was really you."

She narrowed her eyes at Xellos, looking more perturbed than angry. "Xellos, I don't have any power over dreams. Such magic is strictly forbidden. If someone is affecting her dreams, it's not me."

"I see," Xellos shrugged. "I thought as much, but I had to be sure. Well as promised, I will take my leave."

"Wait a minute!" Filia reached her hand out, but didn't touch the Mazoku. "If someone is impersonating me, I want to know about it!"

Xellos ignored Filia and turned to Val, waving at the little hatchling. "Goodbye, Val-kun! I hope to see you again soon."

The little dragon waved back cheerfully. "Me too, Xellos-san! I can't wait!"

"I said wait, Xellos!" Filia growled, but it was too late. Xellos had already vanished.

* * *

Xellos was back on the Astral Plane. He hesitated for a few moments, listening in on the conversation between Filia and Val.

"Listen to me, Val-kun!" he could hear Filia say. "You must forget about that man. He was a filthy Mazoku. He's bad!"

"But he played wif' me, Mommy. He was fun!" the little hatchling whined.

"It doesn't matter, he's a terrible, horrible, no good Mazoku. Now let me borrow that horsey, Sweety."

"NO!"

"I promise I'm not going to burn it, Val-kun, now please let me…"

Xellos would have loved to stick around and hear the rest of the conversation, but he had somewhere he needed to be.

As he traveled he let his thoughts wander to these past couple of hours. Filia had only confirmed what he already suspected. Whoever that woman was in Amelia's dream, it was _not_ the dragon priestess. This, unfortunately, meant that she could be anyone. The humans of the world would probably be surprised to know how many women bore a resemblance to someone like Filia, and the woman in the dream could be any of them.

Or none of them. As Lina had said, she could just be a projection created by the real culprit. But, whoever she was, she had information that no one should by any rights know. Xellos had only spoken of his "condition" with Beastmaster Zellas, and there was no way the Dark Lord would be contacting Amelia about it.

His only option now was to rejoin his companions and continue his search for the rogue Mazoku. He could worry about the woman in Amelia's dream _after_ he cured himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 6: Holy Magic  
> Some translation needed.


	6. Holy Magic

The small village of Burto stood on the border of Elmekia and Zefielia, although it was still considered part of Elmekia. That suited Lina just fine, as she was very adverse to even stepping foot in Zefielia. After all, it was her home country. Who wouldn't be adverse to going home to their family?

It hadn't taken long to get here, a week maybe since they discovered Xellos's secret. Xellos had continued to travel with the group, but he had been noticeably quiet and standoffish, preferring to follow at a bit of a distance rather than annoying the others with his outlandish chatter and mischief.

That was fine with them, if also a bit distressing.

Amelia placed her Seyruun crested dagger on the ground again, the braid of hair still tied around the hilt to aid with her spell. The dagger fell forward, pointing towards the town of Burto.

"The rogue Mazoku is definitely inside the village." Amelia said as she picked up the dagger and stood up. "I guess this is where she is hiding."

Lina seemed all too relieved to hear that. "Wonderful, now we just need to pinpoint her exact location."

"I have a bead on her now, so that shouldn't be a problem." Amelia held the dagger in her hand so she could use it to continue to sense the location of their target.

"Well done, Amelia-san." Xellos stated as he approached the front of the group. Everyone was surprised to suddenly hear him speak and turned in his direction. "And, at this point, I'm afraid you will all have to go on without me for awhile."

"Without you?" Lina looked at the Mazoku curiously. "Why? We're doing all this as a favor to you, ya'know?"

"I'm afraid if she spots me," Xellos answered, "she would be sure to flee again. Do not worry, I will be nearby. All you four have to do is hand her that piece of hair I gave you. I cannot show myself until she has it in her possession."

Before they could ask any more questions, Xellos vanished.

"Argh!" Lina growled, rubbing her head in frustration. "Why does he have to be so damn enigmatic!"

"Because he's Xellos." It was all the answer Zelgadis needed to give. They all began strolling into Burto.

* * *

The little town of Burto was rather quaint and rustic. Most of the homes were merely wooden huts, circular in design, with a combination of thatch and wood plank roofing. The larger buildings were either stores and restaurants, marked by the customary wooden signs in front, or homes for the more wealthy.

Lina's group was looked upon with great curiosity by the villagers, who all wore simple peasant garb. The looks on their faces suggested they hadn't had a visitor in years, and the group now traveling through town stood out like an elf in a beastman village.

"Man, are these people still living in the Stone Age or what?" Lina said casually as she gazed about, her hands behind her head. "I sure hope we can find a decent restaurant here."

"Amelia," Zelgadis turned to look at the princess. "Any luck finding the Mazoku?"

"She's close." Amelia answered. She was clutching the dagger tightly, pressing it to her chest. She was getting increasingly nervous as they got closer. The last thing any human being would want to find was a Mazoku. It was like a mouse searching for a hungry cat. But she had little choice.

Amelia suddenly stopped, and everyone else followed suit. "Amelia?" Lina asked.

The princess turned her head back and forth, before her eyes finally set on something. "There she is, over there."

Amelia pointed and they all looked. There was actually a small crowd of people, about five or six, standing around what appeared to be a bread shop. It didn't take long for them to pick out the one they were looking for.

Only one was a young woman. She was similar in height and build to Lina, only with larger breasts (although this could be said of most of the female population.) She wore a light blue embroidered peasant dress, with a thick black belt and simple leather work boots. She was apparently flirting with the baker, giggling and making eyes at him.

But what really clued everyone in on her true identity was her jet black hair, set in multiple thick braids, with red-stained tips.

"Wow," Gourry exclaimed as he looked at her. "For a Mazoku, she's kinda cute."

The warrior was rewarded with a punch in the stomach from Lina, and he slumped to the ground.

"Amelia," Lina casually turned to the princess, acting as if there wasn't a blond warrior curled up in pain next to her on the ground. "Give me the hair."

The princess didn't hesitate, and untied the hair from her dagger, handing it to Lina with one hand while putting her dagger away with the other. Lina took the braid and began walking over to the Mazoku woman. The rest of them just stood back to watch.

The villagers also stopped to watch as the red-headed sorceress approached the bakery. Lina stood out like a sore thumb among their simple garb, but she wasn't bothered at all. The sorceress liked being the center of attention.

Lina's target also looked up curiously as she approached. When the sorceress was standing directly in front of her, the girl smiled so sweetly it made Lina's teeth hurt. "Hello there. May I help you with something?"

Lina smiled just as sweetly, mockingly, and held out the braid. "I just came to return this to you."

The girl looked down at the hair and instantly dropped the "cute" act. Her eyes went wide in surprise. "Wh…where did you get that?"

"Let's just say I got it from a mutual acquaintance."

The Mazoku hesitated, looking back and forth between the braid and Lina. The red-headed sorceress continued to grin contemptuously.

The Mazoku finally reached out a tentative hand, taking hold of the braid. As Lina watched, the braid suddenly dissipated, like smoke, vanishing before her eyes. Only the gold band that was around it remained.

The girl brought the gold band up to eye level and it glowed slightly, taking the sorceress by surprise. The Mazoku sneered at the gold band before turning her attention back to Lina.

"I understand. You can tell our 'mutual acquaintance' I got his message. He can meet me in my cabin north of here on the outskirts of town."

She then turned and casually walked away.

The others just looked at Lina, gaping mouthed as she returned to them.

"Wait, that was it?" Gourry said as he watched the girl walk away. "I thought we were supposed to capture her or something."

"Don't ask me," Lina shrugged. "I did exactly what Xellos told me to. Not my fault if it didn't work."

"Oh it worked just fine, Lina-san." Xellos had appeared out of nowhere, as usual. He stood behind Gourry, smiling down at Lina. "So, shall we head off to this lovely cabin of hers?"

* * *

The cabin was easy to find, as it wasn't far out of town, and it was the only square housing structure they had seen since coming here. The rogue Mazoku was standing on the porch when Xellos and his human companions arrived. Xellos shouted out a greeting, but she did not respond, instead beckoning them inside with a quick flick of her hand.

The log cabin was a simple one, made of dark wood and surrounded by a wrap-around porch. The porch, like the rest of the cabin, was in serious disrepair, with missing shingles, posts, and floor boards. Llygad didn't really need a place like this. As an Astral being she only kept it to carry on her human façade.

This was further reflected by the fact that the place was almost completely unfurnished and undecorated, save a rustic, wooden table and three matching chairs. There were no beds, dressers, pictures, vases. Nothing of the sort. But while the floorboards bore signs of past water damage, at least it was clean, dry and semi-comfortable.

The cabin was moderately spacious, with a large living area/kitchen and two small rooms in the back. The kitchen, which consisted of a small wood stove, a rough-hewn counter and two cabinets, was to the right of the front door. The table and chairs were set in the center.

With only three chairs, most of the gang was forced to stand. Amelia, Lina, and Gourry took the chairs. Zelgadis leaned against a corner near the kitchen. Xellos, who had apparently made an invisible chair out of thin air, sat floating in the opposite corner. Llygad stood at the head of the table, near Xellos, where everyone could see her.

"You sure you don't want my chair, Miss?" Gourry asked Llygad. "It's not right for a woman to remain standing when I have a perfectly good chair here."

The warrior tried to stand up to prove his point, but was forcefully pulled back into his seat by the red-headed sorceress next to him. "She's a Mazoku, Gourry." Lina said, grinning mischievously at the girl. "You don't have to be chivalrous on her account."

Llygad pretended to ignore the two humans, though a slight twitch in her eye gave her away. She instead turned her attention to the other Mazoku in the room. "I'm surprised, Xellos. Your message said you wanted to meet up alone. What's with the human posse you have here?"

Xellos smiled. "Oh, there was a slight change of plans. Let me start by introducing everyone!" Xellos clapped his hands together, then proceeded to point to each individual as he introduced them. "Everyone, this here is Llygad-san, fugitive to the Mazoku. Llygad-san, this is Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, Zelgadis Greywords, and Amelia Seyruun."

"So why are they here?" Even as she asked it, a quick glance at Amelia, and the mark clearly visible on her hand, and the Mazoku woman had her answer. Amelia saw the look and quickly hid her hand under the table. Not that it did any good.

Llygad sneered. "Oh, I see."

"They are my traveling companions," Xellos answered anyway.

"You mean bodyguards?" She teased, getting a annoyed look from Xellos.

"You know," Lina butted in, 'I'm willing to bet Xellos is a whole lot more powerful than you, Llygad, so maybe you should pay him a little more respect."

"Why should I?" She grinned, pointing a long finger at Xellos' hand. "I know that as long as he has that mark he can't hurt me."

"That's true," Xellos answered with a friendly laugh. "But don't forget, Llygad-san, that I won't have this mark forever." Xellos opened his eyes slightly to sneer at her. "And I have a very long memory."

That was enough to turn the Mazoku woman's grin into a glare.

Lina spoke up. "Well you've at least confirmed that you know about the marks, Llygad. Hopefully this also means you know how to remove them."

Llygad took a quick and disgusted glance at Lina, but otherwise ignored her. "So is the offer legitimate, Xellos? Seems too good to be true."

"Absolutely." Xellos responded, his friendly grin back again. "If you help me with my dilemma, Llygad-san, all will be forgiven. You will be able to return to the Mazoku, no questions asked."

"And that's it? I just help you and all is good?"

"Certainly." Xellos gave her a sincere smile.

"Even after what I did?"

"Llygad-san, I have no idea what it was you did, but it doesn't matter to me. This message comes from Beastmaster-sama. It is by her discretion."

She sighed, standing up straight and folding her arms in front of her. It only took a moment for her to think it through. "I guess that will have to do. I'm tired of running after 300 years."

"So we have a deal?"

"Yes, Xellos, we do." She leaned forward, a smug grin forming on her lips. "I'll help you remove the mark in any way I can."

"Good!" Lina jumped in, facing the Mazoku woman. "So to start, I'm going to throw a wild guess out there and say that you performed Magical Fusion at Nullin before. Haven't you?"

"You would be correct, human." Her voice was haughty and annoying. "I was the Black Mage-sama for the Third Couple."

"Which is why you know about the marks and what they do to Mazoku."

Llygad chuckled to herself, turning her gaze back to the Xellos. "You know, I somehow knew some other poor Mazoku might fall into that Fusion trap some day. I just never imagined it would end up being you." She covered her mouth, barely containing her laughter, much to his annoyance.

"Of course," Xellos chimed in, his eye twitching in controlled anger, "I'm assuming you also figured out how to remove these marks."

She stopped laughing long enough to roll her eyes at him. "Believe me, Xellos, if I hadn't figured that out, I'd probably be nothing more than a mist of miasma somewhere. I have to draw negative energy out of humans to gain power. We can't all graze off of minor negative emotions everywhere we go like _some_ Mazoku can."

Xellos smirked at her comment. "So would you like to share what you know?"

"To be honest, Xellos, I didn't do anything to remove this mark." She shrugged. "My partner, the white mage, did it. He cast some sort of cleansing spell on himself to get rid of it."

'Hmm, is it really that simp…"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Lina brought up a hand to interrupt. She glowered at Amelia, who sweat-dropped in response. "Amelia, have you tried casting a cleansing spell?"

"Um, well, I, uh…," the princess stammered. "I tried a _Recovery_ spell, but I didn't think with all the trouble we went through…"

"Amelia, you _idiot_!" Lina yelled, and the princess wanted desperately to hide under the table. "After all these years, I figured you would have learned! You always try the simplest solutions before the hard ones, whether you think it will work or not!"

"But Xellos-san was leading…"

"Amelia," Lina sat back down, glaring at the princess. "Cast a cleansing spell on your finger."

Amelia started to say something, but then sighed in defeat. It really was pointless to try arguing with Lina. She raised her right hand over her left to cast the spell.

" _Oh power of Light and Earth and Wind, break now this evil spell that has been cast upon my hand_."

A bright, flashing glow surrounded Amelia's hand, and then vanished as quickly as it appeared. But it had no effect. The mark on her hand was still clearly visible.

"See, I told you it wouldn't work!" Lina nodded her head in satisfaction, ignoring Amelia's glare. "So tell us, Llygad, just what kind of cleansing spell was it really?"

"Well it certainly wasn't like that one." Llygad was looking very confused. "The one he used looked more like a ritual, and was very powerful."

"A ritual? Amelia do you know any cleansing rituals?"

Amelia shook her head. "The only ones I know are that one and one for removing poisons."

Xellos turned back to Llygad. "So where can we find your white mage partner?"

She shrugged. "Dead, I assume. Or worse."

"Great," Lina frowned. "I guess that means we're going to have to figure out what this spell was on our own."

"Llygad?" Zelgadis asked. "We know that a normal human under typical circumstances is killed when performing the ceremony with a Mazoku. So I'd like to know how your White Mage-sama survived? Was he human?"

"No," Llygad shook her head, her braids swinging back and forth as she did so. "He was an elf."

"Damnit," Lina cursed. "That doesn't help us at all!"

"Why not," Gourry was trying as best he could to follow the conversation. "Can't we just go find an elf and ask them to remove the curse?"

Lina glared at her thick companion. "Gourry, you can't just walk into a village and bump into an elf. As a race, as a rule, they prefer not to be found by humans like us.

"Not only that," Lina continued, "But they use their own form of magic that no other race in the world knows, not even golden dragons. For all we know, this cleansing spell could be Elven Magic."

"I doubt that, Lina-san." Xellos smiled. "Elves do have their own, exclusive magic, but such magic tends to be nature based. I have a feeling something like a cleansing spell would not be unique to elves."

"Huh?" Lina looked at Xellos curiously. "So what kind of magic would it be then?"

"I'm surprised you didn't think of it already, Lina-san. I think it is safe to assume that in order for this elf to have survived the Magical Fusion ceremony with Llygad-san, he would have to have been adept at _Holy_ Magic."

Xellos suddenly vanished. Everyone stared at the spot where he had been, wondering where he had gone this time. That is, up until a startled shriek from Amelia turned their attention to her.

"Please excuse me, Amelia-san, but I need to borrow this for a moment." In an instant, Xellos grabbed her cloak and pulled out the Holy Magic book she had inside a pocket in the seems. Before the princess could react, the Mazoku vanished again, reappearing near the ceiling, book in hand.

"No!" Amelia screamed, standing up so fast her chair toppled over. She ran to stand underneath the Mazoku priest, who was now searching through the book. "Give that back, Xellos-san! Mazoku should _not_ be touching that holy book!"

Xellos stopped to glare down at the princess. "Why do all you shrine maidens think I'm going to corrupt everything I touch? It's rather insulting." He lifted the book up, pointing to it for emphasis. "It's just a book, Amelia-san. I'm not going to do anything to it."

Xellos went back to skimming pages, while Amelia could only look up at him. Even if she cast a _Levitate_ to get to him, she knew it was useless to try and force it away.

"It just isn't right," she whimpered softly.

"Xellos," Zelgadis growled at the Mazoku. "Give that back. That belongs to Amelia."

"Be patient," Xellos continued to flip through the book. "I'm just looking."

Everyone could only watch. Amelia fell to her knees in distress. It was just so _wrong_.

Xellos stopped on a page, and grinned. "Ah, here it is!"

He vanished from his spot, reappearing next to Llygad. He slammed the book down in front of her on the table, open and pointing to one of the pages.

"Is this the spell?" Xellos asked her.

Llygad didn't answer right away, as she looked like someone had just thrown a dead rat in front of her. Or, perhaps in her case, a live and adorable kitten. She held her hands up defensively, looking at the book with complete revulsion.

Xellos sweat-dropped. "Oh come on, not you too?"

Llygad looked over at Xellos, and stubbornly glared. She glanced back at the Holy Book, and the page the Mazoku priest was pointing at. The page alone had very little writing on it. Instead it contained the picture of a large and complicated magical circle, full of runes and unrecognizable ancient writing.

She stared at it for a few moments more before answering. "Um, I think so. It does kind of look like the circle my… White Mage-sama was standing in when he cast the cleansing spell."

Xellos smiled triumphantly, slamming the book closed and picking it up. "Looks like we found the means to remove these marks, Amelia-san. And you are going to cast it for us."

"What? Xellos!" Lina stood up, giving the Mazoku a stern look. "Amelia can't cast Holy Magic! No human can. You can't just hand her a book and expect her to cast a holy-level cleanse just like that!"

"I have complete confidence in her ability." Xellos shrugged. "I think you underestimate her, Lina-san."

"Under a less stressful situation, I'd love to watch Amelia cast a Holy spell." Lina continued to glare at the Mazoku priest. "But you're betting her life on her ability to cast this thing, Xellos. That doesn't sit well with me."

"Me neither," Zelgadis said. "I say we bring Filia here and have her cast it. If we are going to do this, I want to make sure this works."

Xellos shook his head. "Filia-san is in the outerworld. It would take much to long to bring her here." _'That and I'd really prefer to keep her out of this,'_ he thought to himself.

"You are forgetting something else, Xellos-san," Amelia spoke up, not sure what to make of all this. "The spell is written in ancient dragon. I can't even begin to read it."

Xellos grinned. "Oh that's no problem, Amelia-san. I can translate it for you."

Lina's eye twitched. "Xellos, it's one thing for a Mazoku like you to handle a holy book, it's a whole 'nother degree of disturbing for _you_ to be teaching her Holy Magic."

"I didn't say I'd teach it to her." Xellos remained perfectly calm as he spoke to Lina. "I'd just translate it into a language she understands."

Lina was anything but calm as she stood up in her seat. "That's the same thing!"

"No it isn't."

"Xellos, it just isn't ri…"

"No magic!"

Everyone turned to look at Amelia, who was glaring at Xellos. "I don't want you using any of your Mazoku magic to translate, Xellos-san. If you do that, I'll do it."

Xellos shrugged his shoulders, smiling as always. "Alright."

"Amelia," Zelgadis turned to her questioningly. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Amelia smiled back at the chimera. "I guess I just can't resist a chance to actually cast one of the spells in that book."

"Excellent!" Xellos practically shouted, clapping his hands together and startling everyone in the room. "Then it's settled. Let me go into town and grab some parchment and ink and I'll get started right away!"

* * *

"Llygad-san," Xellos turned to the other Mazoku , who looked up at him with apprehension. "I'd like you to accompany me into town. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

The humans had wandered off to make preparations at the cabin, such as fashioning some cots to sleep on. Lina insisted that if they were staying for a week or more, she planned to rest on something more comfortable than water-warped floorboards.

To keep up human appearances, the two Mazoku walked into town as opposed to just teleporting. This gave Xellos plenty of time to speak with the rogue Mazoku.

He glanced down at her diminutive form, smiling to himself. Her true shape was not small was, in fact, larger than his, but she chose to look like a petite girl when she turned human. Rather clever of her, actually, since a small girl was so much easier to trust. If they only knew.

"So, Llygad-san, how have the last 300 years been treating you?" Xellos said with a smile as they walked through the forest.

She glared at him suspiciously. "Cut the small talk, Xellos. I know you didn't ask me along to get on my good side."

"Oh, now, no need to be rude." He wagged a finger at her accusingly, then shrugged. "But if you insist, I wanted to ask you something that has been bothering me for awhile."

She didn't say anything, but instead looked at him, spreading her hands out questioningly.

"Have you been dabbling in dream magic recently?"

That was not the question she was expecting, and she furrowed her brow at Xellos. "Excuse me?"

"Dream magic. One of my companions has been visited by a woman in her sleep. I wanted to find out if it was you."

Llygad looked thoroughly confused as she stared back at her companion. "Dream magic? Are you kidding? I don't even have the slightest clue how to get into some human's dream, and even if I did, talk about a waste of effort."

Xellos frowned. "So you are not the one planting dreams in Amelia-san's head?"

"Xellos, I hadn't even met your human companions until today. I don't know why her dreams bother you so much, but you are barking up the wrong tree if you think I have anything to do with it."

Xellos nodded and turned his gaze ahead again. He didn't trust Llygad, but he also didn't believe she was lying. The Mazoku woman knew nothing of the False-Filia in Amelia's dreams.

Which means he had hit another dead end. Whoever this 'sandman' was, she would continue to remain hidden from him for awhile yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 7: The Girl Of My Dreams  
> Yep, she's back!
> 
> More Author's Notes: In case there is some confusion, I'd like to explain 'White Magic vs Holy Magic' in my story. In Slayers cannon, I recently found out that they are two completely separate types of magic. White Magic, from what I understand, is a balancing and purifying magic, while Holy Magic calls directly on the power of the gods.
> 
> This information was not available to me when I wrote 'Magical Fusion' back in 2004, so I made the assumption that Holy Magic was a more advanced form of White Magic and wrote my story around that theory. When I wrote 'Soul Fusion,' I then had to choose between following cannon and following my story. Since this is a sequel, I chose to stay consistent with 'Magical Fusion.' I apologize for breaking from cannon, but I did so feeling it would make for a better story.


	7. Sympathy

The sun still had about an hour before it would start to peek over the horizon, but Zelgadis was already wide awake. Being part golem and part demon reduced his need for the basic human necessities such as food and sleep, although it didn't eliminate them.

Zelgadis got dressed quietly, so not to wake the loudly-snoring Gourry. He picked up his sword and scabbard from the side of the bed and went into the main cabin area. No one greeted him there, not even a overly-cutesy Mazoku or an even more annoying smiling one. Everyone else was sleeping, so he had some time to himself.

He'd barely set foot inside the main room when something on the table caught his eye. On one end was Amelia's Holy Book, the other was the manuscript Xellos had been working on.

Zelgadis leaned his sword against the edge of the table and picked up the manuscript. He sat down in the nearest chair and began to scan through it.

As much as he despised Xellos, he had to admit the Mazoku did good scribe work. The writing was clean and easy to read. There were frequent notations and clarifications throughout the document, and he even took the time to make a second drawing of the magical circle. Amelia would have no trouble learning the Holy spell with this.

He wasn't sure how long he had been flipping through the manuscript, studying it, when Lina entered from the girls' room. She yawned loudly, waving to Zelgadis while her hand was still in the air.

"Good morning, Zel."

"Morning, Lina." He acknowledged her, but didn't look up as he continued to flip through the manuscript.

"What'cha got there?" Lina walked up to Zelgadis, and her eyes lit up. "Oh! Is that the translation? Let me see!"

Before Zelgadis could protest, Lina snatched the manuscript from his hands, opening it up.

"Hey! Lina, be careful with that!"

Lina ignored him as she sat down at the table, setting the manuscript down to flip through it herself. "Wow, it's too bad we're not white mages, huh Zel? This looks like a really cool spell."

"I can't even begin to imagine you as a shrine-maiden, Lina." He sat down and watched her go through the pages. There was no use fighting her over them.

"Still, looks like most of this is just instructions on how to make the magic circle. We can definitely help Amelia with that."

"That's good. The sooner we get this cast, the better. Amelia's been through enough as it is."

"Isn't this great," Lina closed the manuscript, staring at it triumphantly. "We're about to make history here! No human has been able to use Holy Magic for over 1,000 years!"

"Yes, because we are such strangers to making history," Zelgadis said sarcastically.

"Hey, try and show just a little excitement!" Lina scowled at the chimera. "This is _your_ Amelia we are talking about."

Zelgadis smiled and glanced back at Lina. "Yeah, I know. It is kind of exciting. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"The greatest feats come out of the worst circumstances, Zel." Lina nodded sagely. "You're probably just disappointed that the first spell she cast from it isn't your cure."

Zelgadis frowned. "There isn't a cure for me in that Holy Book, Lina. Amelia and I looked."

"What a shame," Lina shrugged. "Maybe if you go searching for another Magical Fusion artifact, you can find some way of curing yourself?"

"Maybe." Zelgadis let his eyes wander to Lina's room, where Amelia slept. "For now I've felt like taking a break from the whole search. I'd just like to back to Seyruun with Amelia and enjoy some feeling of normality for awhile."

"Speaking of Amelia," Lina said, seeing where Zelgadis' eyes had glanced. "Where did she run off to anyway?"

Zelgadis looked back at Lina in surprise. "I thought she was still asleep?"

"Nope," replied Lina. "Her bed was empty when I woke up. I haven't seen her since last night."

Zelgadis stood up from the table and wandered over to the girls' room, opening the door to look inside. Sure enough, both cots were empty.

He turned back to Lina, "Where could she be?"

The sorceress shrugged. "Beats me."

Zelgadis furrowed his brow, then grabbed his sword from the table, strapping it to his waist before heading to the door. "I'm going to look for her, Lina. I'll be back later."

* * *

Amelia, now possessed by the spirit of Dova, gazed around the forest in confusion. She was still holding onto Xellos by the arm and his shirt, not quite able to keep her balance.

She looked back at the Mazoku and realized for the first time she was still touching him. She withdrew her hands as though she'd been burned, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards.

"Ouch," she whined from her sitting position as she tried to get up again.

"I did tell you to be careful," Xellos sighed as he came over to help her. He reached down, taking her arm, but she shrugged him away. Awkwardly, she got up on her own.

Xellos merely watched her as she looked down at her hands, turning them up and down and touching one with the other. "I'm in Amelia-san's body?"

"That's right." Xellos said cheerfully.

"How?" She looked up at Xellos again, confused and a little frightened.

"I'd think you could figure that out." He leaned on his staff with both hands as he addressed her. "I used the same connection you used to enter her dreams. It was surprisingly simple."

Her eyes looked down at the mark on her finger, the mark that created a Soul Link between Xellos and Amelia. She covered it up with her hand and blushed with embarrassment. Xellos merely grinned.

"Where's Amelia-san?" Her voice had an edge of panic in it.

"She's still in there, with you," he said nonchalantly. "She's sleeping, so to speak, so you need not worry about her. As long as she remains unconscious, you will remain the dominant personality and can control her body."

Of course, depending on how powerful a ghost Dova was, there was a chance she would remain the dominant personality even if Amelia _did_ wake up. He chose not to mention that, however.

"Do you have any more questions for me, Dova-san, or is it my turn now?" Xellos asked sweetly.

She calmed down, letting her eyes move to Xellos' shoes without saying another word.

"Oh, good. To start, I'd like to confirm a few things." He stood up straight again, looking at her, even if all he got was a view of thick black hair. "To start, I had assumed that the Soul Link magic didn't work on you because you died during the ceremony. But I was wrong, wasn't I, Dova-san? It did work on you. In fact, it worked a bit _too_ well."

She looked up at him, glaring. "You probably think that's funny, don't you? If I had known you were a Mazoku, I would never have performed that ceremony with you!"

"I think that goes without saying." He chuckled. "So I know you've been trapped inside my body since the Fusion ceremony 100 years ago, but at what point did you become _aware_?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Aware of what?"

"Aware of what had happened to you."

She looked to the side, her brow furrowed in thought. It took only a moment before she looked directly at Xellos again. "I want to thank you for closing my eyes. I didn't expect that from a Mazoku."

Xellos cocked his head to the side, dropping his smile. "You saw that? That's very troubling."

"You must have been aware too!" She clenched her fists, looking at Xellos with great intensity. "How could you not be?"

"Sorry to say, I had no idea you had been trapped all this time, Dova-san." He shrugged. "It's rather surprising to me as well, but I suppose your spirit body was just too small for me to notice."

She glared at the Mazoku, her body trembling. "I…I was so insignificant to you that you didn't even notice me trapped there for 100 _years_?"

"Basically, yes." He waved his hand dismissively. "You certainly weren't causing me any trouble till recently."

"I couldn't do anything!" She screamed, her fists balled up so tight they were turning white. "I couldn't speak or move! All I could do is sit there and watch you do all those horrible terrible things! I had to sit and watch as you tortured and murdered so many pe…"

Xellos quickly clasped a hand onto her mouth, "I really wish you wouldn't bring up stuff like that, Dova-san. Especially in my current condition."

She glared at him again, but didn't try and remove his hand herself. Eventually, Xellos dared to take it away, with the hope she wouldn't start listing his past crimes again.

"You feel guilt over so many things, but none for what you did to me?" she whispered harshly.

"Actually, Dova-san, I do feel some guilt for it." His tone was sincere. "If I don't show it, it is only because I've been quickly learning to control this new emotion."

It was true. The physical manifestations, the trembling and helplessness, were slowly beginning to fade. He couldn't shake that horrible sensation, however, no matter how hard he tried.

Her eyes widened, a small amount of fear showing in her face. "Control it? Does this mean you are going to do evil things again?"

"Not anytime soon, I assure you. I'm just not going to be making a fool of myself anymore."

Xellos sat down on the ground, crossing his legs in front of him. "Might as well sit down, Dova-san." He said, gesturing to the ground in front of him. "We have a great deal to discuss, you and I."

* * *

Lina began searching through the cupboards of the kitchen area, gathering up multiple food items for breakfast. Various breads, fruits, dried and salted meats, and even several items she didn't really recognize, but nevertheless looked delicious.

She was still piling them onto the table when Gourry entered the room, yawning loudly.

"Heya Gourry!" she said cheerfully as she finally sat down. "This is all mine, so hands off!"

"'Morning, Lina." His voice was groggy, but in high spirits. He ignored her warning and sat down at the table kitty-corner from Lina and started munching on a whole loaf of bread.

Lina glared at him, the hand holding her fork already itching for more food-based combat. There was nothing like tossing cuisine and mayhem around a table to get you energized in the morning.

But there wouldn't be a food fight today. Gourry had sat down in high spirits, but after he started eating, Lina noticed his look had changed. He suddenly seemed somber and deep in thought. Not that she could imagine his thoughts being all that deep…

Lina shrugged her disappointment away and became content to simply eat in relative peace.

"Lina?"

The sorceress looked up, her mouth full of beef jerky. "Yeah? Wha'f?"

Gourry was staring at her, his look unusually sad. "Why did you lie to Amelia?"

The question caught her off guard, and she blinked in surprise, swallowing her food. "Lie? When did I ever lie to Amelia?"

"You told her we weren't a couple."

"Oh…that." Lina grimaced, putting her fork down. "My response was just an automatic defense mechanism, Gourry. You know how Amelia gets when it comes to anything remotely mushy and romantic."

"But did you have to lie?" He narrowed his eyes at Lina, his stare intense and hurt. "There are times I wonder if you are ashamed to be with me, Lina."

"What? No!" Lina raised her hands up defensively. "Absolutely not. You know I love you. Don't be an idiot about it! And you should know by now that I have no shame."

Gourry rolled his eyes. That last statement was an outright lie, even if it was one Lina had convinced herself was true. "I don't think it would have hurt to tell her the truth."

"Did you really want to sit here and listen to her spout off some speech about love and romance, Gourry?" She had a look of disgust on her face at the very thought.

"I wouldn't have minded."

' _No, of course you wouldn't,'_ Lina thought in irritation. "Look, Gourry, I'm just not the sappy type. Just because we've been a couple for a few years now doesn't mean I'm going to start announcing it to the whole world!"

Gourry narrowed his eyes at Lina. "I want to announce it to the world, Lina."

Lina grabbed an apple to start munching on next, but she stopped. Gourry had just reached into his pocket, and she watched with apprehension. She knew what he kept in there. _'Oh don't you dare, Gourry, don't you…'_

He took the item out and slammed his closed fist down on the table in front of Lina. He dropped it in front of her, removing his hand so the item stood out to Lina like a beacon in a dark room.

It was a simple gold ring, with a single diamond on it.

She stared at it in a panic, standing up to escape. "Gah! Gourry, put that thing away!"

"Lina?"

"No, Gourry!" She growled. Her cheeks were flushed red now as she looked at the ring. "I'm…I'm not ready to settle down yet. There's still too much of the world to explore and magic to discover!"

"It doesn't mean we have to stop traveling Lina…"

"That's exactly what it means, Gourry!" She sat back down in her chair. Her entire face was bright red now. "I just…I'm not ready yet."

Gourry sighed, reluctantly picking up the ring and putting it back into his pocket again.

With the ring out of sight, Lina noticeably calmed down, her cheeks still flushed. "Geez, when are you going to give it up, Gourry."

"I'll stop asking after you say 'Yes,' Lina."

The sorceress looked up at her warrior companion. His voice had been firm, but he was smiling at her, gentle and loving.

' _What a big dope.'_ Lina smiled back, placing her hand on the table near his. Gourry reached out and took it, their hands closing around each other. "I…I will some day Gourry. Just not today, okay?"

The warrior shrugged and nodded. "Well, maybe it's for the best." A mischievous grin crossed his face. "It gives me more time to change my mind, after all."

Lina looked at him horrified, "What? What do you mean change your mind?"

"Well, I really should keep my options open, after all." He had a glint in his eye, but Lina was freaking out so much she didn't notice it. Until his next line. "I mean, you're nineteen now, so there's no hope of your bust getting any bigge…"

Lina punched Gourry across the face, sending him flying backwards out of his chair. "That's enough out of you, _Sweet-heart_!"

* * *

Dova didn't as much sit down in front of Xellos as fall on her butt, still not accustomed to the strange body she was in. But as soon as she was down, her legs safely tucked under her, she folded her hands in her lap and looked at him.

"How long do you intend to keep me this way, Xellos-san?"

The Mazoku smiled, but kept his eyes open as he looked at her. "As long as it takes to get the information I need. You've recently become a great threat to me, Dova-san, and I can't have that."

"Threat?" She knew he couldn't hurt her right now, but couldn't help but be frightened. She knew all too well how Xellos handled threats.

"I don't like anyone besides myself and my master knowing my secrets." He narrowed his eyes. "And you know quite a lot of them, don't you?"

"Not all of them!" She started to tremble a little, and began fidgeting with Amelia's hair. "I…I tend to hide whenever you get near Beastmaster. She frightens me."

Dova could still remember the first time Xellos had visited his Beastmaster, just after performing the ceremony at Nullin. She got only a brief glimpse of the Dark Lord, because in that same moment, the Dark Lord seemed to look directly at _her_ as well. She hid herself in the void ever since, preferring it over that terrifying gaze.

Xellos smiled, "That's good, at least. That would limit your threat to me a great deal."

She continued to fiddle with her hair as she thought about the Dark Lord. She pulled Amelia's black hair, twisting it in her fingers, and even yanking on it. Hard.

"Dova-san?" Xellos was getting rather worried

"Hmm," she mumbled, only half paying attention as she continued to tug on Amelia's hair.

"That's not your hair, Dova-san." He reached his hand up to take hers, gently removing it from the hair she was pulling on. "It's Amelia-san's hair, remember? Please be more careful."

"Oh!" She seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing and blushed. She removed her hands from Xellos' and placed them meekly in her lap again. "I'm sorry."

Xellos grimaced. This was not a good sign. "Dova-san, I should inform you that since I placed you into Amelia's body, I am responsible for what happens to her. Please treat her with respect."

"I'm sorry," she sounded like she was on the brink of tears, and she brought her hands up to her face to hide them.

Xellos sighed, before dismissing his apprehension with a smile. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear you don't know of my conversations with Beastmaster-sama, but just what do you know?"

She glared at Xellos, "You told me not to bring that stuff up because of your 'condition.'"

"Well, those weren't the kind of secrets I was referring to." Xellos sweat dropped. "I mean, how did you know I was Soul Linked with Amelia-san if you never saw my conversations with my Master. I only discussed it with her."

"Because you searched for documentation on it after the Magical Fusion ceremony." She started wringing her hands incessantly as she spoke, her fingers running along the Amelia's calloused hands. "I also noticed that you were going out of your way to not commit evil acts after your encounter with the Mazoku woman. That's all I knew about your condition before your companions revealed it."

"Well, that certainly makes sense." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "For my next question, I'm sure you've noticed I've spent a great deal of time with Lina and her companions. Since you have not seen my conversations with Beastmaster-sama, I must ask what you do know of our plans for them?"

She shook her head rapidly. "Nothing. I don't know why you are following them, I swear! I thought maybe you just liked them."

Xellos chuckled. "Well that's somewhat true." He stood up, grinning down at her. "I I thank you, Dova-san, for the information. I believe I'm done for now."

"What? That's it?" she looked up at him, stopping her constant hand wringing. "That's all you wanted to know?"

"Pretty much. I feel I know everything else already."

She hugged herself possessively, looking up at him with terrified eyes. "You're going to put me back, aren't you? That horrible black void…"

"I have no intention of doing that." His smile was gentle and friendly. "In fact, as a reward for your honesty, Dova-san, I offer you a gift. The gift of _freedom_."

She went from frightened to confused as she looked up at his now standing form. "Freedom?"

"While inside my Mazoku body, I can see why you would be trapped and unable to escape for 100 years. But I have now placed you into Amelia's body, and she is _human_. You are now free to escape and rejoin your father, little ghost."

Dova blinked in surprised, glancing at her surroundings. For the first time she came to realize that Xellos was right.

While she had been inside his Mazoku body, she didn't feel so much trapped as constantly _lost_. Everywhere she turned was nothing but darkness. She could choose to hear and see everything he did, but otherwise she would find herself wandering in an endless abyss of nothing. Wandering the blackness was something she only did when he came into the presence of his terrifying Dark Lord. Even watching Xellos committing unspeakable evil acts was preferable to the nothingness.

But now, inside Amelia, she could see an exit. It beckoned to her, offering her the freedom she had wanted for 100 years. She could finally be _free_.

But…

"No!" She said, turning her head away; rejecting her freedom with the simple gesture. "No, I can't go."

Xellos frowned. This was not the response he was expecting. "No?"

"I'm not done yet."

"Done with what?" He was irritated again. This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.

"I have a mission now," she said triumphantly, still looking to the side. "I cannot forsake it!"

"What, your mission to reform me?" He sneered at her mockingly.

She whipped her head back to glare at him, "That's only part of it! You need me right now, Xellos-san, and I'm not leaving!"

Xellos narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance. "I assure you, I have no need for you, Dova-san. I'm not sure what makes you think I do."

"It doesn't matter," she folded her arms in front of her stubbornly. "I'm not leaving, Xellos-san."

Xellos snickered malevolently at her. "You do know that I could just _rip_ you out of her? Is that what you want?"

He lifted his hand up, fingers extended like claws as if he was ready to grab her. Dova flinched but did not move. "No you can't," she answered defiantly, despite the fearful shaking in her voice. "Not as long as you have that mark, you can't."

Xellos frowned and put his hand down. She had called his bluff. Forcefully ripping the ghost out of a living human being caused serious damage to both the ghost and the soul of the human host. And he simply could not cause such harm to Dova or Amelia.

He stared her down, until she eventually looked away. But her jaw was still set stubbornly. She refused to budge.

Xellos grinned wickedly. "My, what a pesky little parasite you are."

Dova's eyes went wide and she stared back at Xellos, gape mouthed. "Pa… _parasite_?"

"I think that describes you well, don't you?" Xellos kneeled down again to be at her eye level. "You invade my body, cause trouble for me, and refuse to leave."

Her body shook with rage. "How dare you! You did this to me!"

"And now I'm trying to undo it." Despite the intensity of his gaze, she was matching it fully. "If you will not leave Amelia's body, then I'll have no choice but to put you back into my own. Do you really want that, my little parasite?"

She stared up at him, her body still shaking, her fists grabbing the sleeves of her shirt in an angry hug. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she clenched her jaw tightly. "I'm not a parasite." She finally said through clenched teeth.

"The _host_ disagrees, Dova-san. Now are you going to leave quietly or am I going to have to…"

She suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream that even shocked Xellos, " _I'm not a parasite, you bastard. I'm not! I'm not! I'm not_!"

She screamed again, shaking her head so fiercely her whole body followed suit. She grabbed her forearms and began clawing at them like an animal, ripping the sleeves to shreds as she did so.

Xellos gritted his teeth in panic and grabbed her, "Dova-san! Dova-san stop it! Calm down!"

He held her easily, but she continued to thrash about, screaming with manic rage. She continued to swing her fists about, and the Mazoku was forced to pull her to him, hugging her back against his chest so he could restrain her arms with his own.

Unable to move, Dova eventually calmed down, breathing heavily as she looked around her. "Oh," Dova blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. "Oh no, did I just…did I…?"

"I think you are a few rocks short of a golem, Dova-san." Xellos grimaced, still holding onto her. Xellos glanced at her arms, Amelia's arms. The sleeves of her shirt were torn to shreds, and the skin underneath was now horribly scratched. The wounds were superficial, but small droplets of blood could be seen forming within them. Her fingertips were also bruised red.

He released her, letting her collapse back to the ground, her back still to him. She crawled away a few steps, her body trembling from her earlier exertion.

"Now, Dova-san, please, cast a _Recovery_ spell on your arms so I can forget you did that."

Dova turned around to face Xellos, but she looked at 'her' arms, seeing the scratches for the first time. Her face scrunched up with guilt and she whimpered. "I…I don't remember how."

' _Oh great,'_ Xellos thought sarcastically. A small pang of guilt snuck into his gut, further reminding him that he was losing control of the situation. Seems this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Xellos knew about human ghosts, but he rarely had to deal with them unless they were especially powerful and dangerous. Otherwise it was a task relegated to lesser Mazoku. He knew human ghosts tended to be unstable, but he had underestimated Dova's extreme emotional state.

"I promised Amelia I wouldn't hurt her, Dova-san, and you are making that a very difficult promise to keep. If you refuse to leave on your own, then I'm afraid I have no choice. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to put you back where I found you."

He lifted up his hand, ready to snap his fingers. It was an unnecessary gesture, more symbolic than anything, but it got Dova's attention.

"No! Wait!" she cried, raising her hand. "Please wait."

Xellos put his hand down and smirked. "Are you ready to go now? The door is still open to you, but it won't be once I snap my fingers."

"Please wait, there is just…." She was wringing her hands again, glancing around nervously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"It's…" she pursed her lips, still not looking at him. "Xellos-san, I died so young. I was only a month from my fifteenth birthday when you killed me! There's so many things I didn't get a chance to experience when I was alive. Now that I have a body, I'd like to…"

"I really don't think we'll have time to let you do all the things you missed out on, Dova-san. You are dangerous, and I can't let you keep Amelia-san's body."

"Xellos-san please!" She gazed up at him with wide, pleading green eyes. "You owe me! I had such a short life…"

"All humans have short lives, Dova-san." Xellos was becoming exasperated by her, and was ready to just snap his fingers right then and there to get her to stop. _'So why am I hesitating?'_

"You did this to me, Xellos-san!" She shrieked, clenching her fists again. "I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for you!"

She was getting worked up again, and Xellos placed a hand on her trembling shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"Dova_san?" His voice was gentle, and it seemed to work. Her shaking stopped, and she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please, Xellos-san. I…I know I don't have time for many things, but…"

"You've already hurt Amelia-san once, Dova-san." He kept his voice soft, but with an air of authority for good measure. "I can't risk you doing it again."

"I won't hurt her! I just…"

She closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath, before gazing back up the Mazoku. The look she gave him was no longer sad or hysterical. It was one Xellos recognized right away.

He suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Dova-san, I know what you are thinking. I can assure you that it is not a good ide…"

He was cut off when she suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him square on the lips.

' _Crap,'_ Xellos thought as he analyzed his new situation. This was not at all what he wanted. He somehow knew this was what she was planning the moment he saw her cheeks turn red, and he could have easily avoided it. But another, newer part of him also felt sorry for her. _'Stupid conscience.'_

Xellos grabbed hold of her arms and tried to gently push her away, but she responded by tightening her grip, her mouth never leaving his. Her hold was so taut that if Xellos had been human, she would have been a literal pain in the neck. She obviously wasn't very good at this.

He couldn't think of any way to push her off that wouldn't end up hurting Amelia in the process. He decided instead to try a reverse tactic to see if he could make her end it faster. He cupped her head in his head, returning the kiss in full trying to ignore the fact that these were Amelia's lips he was kissing. He heard her sigh contentedly, which just annoyed him further. Apparently he succeeded only in encouraging her. Young humans and their romantic notions!

The Mazoku sighed inwardly in defeat, thinking about what to do next. The damage had already been done. There was only one option left to him, and he would just have to try and clean up this mess when it was over.

Xellos raised his hand up, and snapped his fingers.

* * *

Amelia slowly began to regain consciousness, like waking from a strange, dreamless sleep. Her mind felt foggy, but slowly she began to take note of little things; a mild headache, a pain in her arms, and a very strange taste in her mouth, like tea and ice-cream.

Her mind then began to register that she was not alone. She had her arms wrapped tightly around someone, and was kissing them. ' _Zelgadis_?'

No, it wasn't Zelgadis. These lips felt like flesh, not stone. Then who…?

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, a slight moan escaping her covered lips as she tried to focus her mind on what was going on. Then it all became clear, like the crash of a violent wave, and her eyes went wide with shock.

She shoved Xellos away with such force you'd think she'd found herself in the grasp of a poisonous snake. The Mazoku released her willingly, and she let out a cry of panic as she scooted backwards, out of his reach. Her hand instinctively covered her mouth, and she stared back at the Mazoku with wide, horrified blue eyes.

"What…what happen…Xellos-san?" She could barely speak. All she could do is stammer in disbelief.

"It's okay, Amelia-san," Xellos tried to reassure her, holding his hand up defensively. "It's not at all what you think. Let me just tell you what…"

His words were cut off by the sound of rustling bushes nearby, and the two turned to look. Amelia's look instantly went from shock to terror.

There stood Zelgadis, his expression cold, except for a fierce fire burning behind his eyes. He stared straight at Xellos.

And his sword was drawn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 10: Guilt and Remorse  
> I got nothing' for this one…


	8. Flashback

… _100 years ago, in a small city on the edge of the Desert of Destruction…_

A lone girl walked down the path leading out of Nullin, crossing the border out of its anti-magic shield. Or at least where she thought the border to be, since no one could see it. She walked with confidence, but she also walked with a slight limp.

She reached the edge of the forest clearing, where she knew she was no longer inside the shield, and carefully sat herself down on the ground. She pushed her bad foot out, lifting up her shrine-maiden robes enough to reveal a bruised ankle.

"Damn porch steps," she muttered under her breath in a most un-shrine-maiden manner. She hovered a delicate hand over her ankle and began to cast a _Recovery_ wind blew the loose strands of her long, curled blonde hair into her face, and she used her other hand to brush it out, revealing large, emerald-green eyes.

Ever since she had arrived, she had been dragged from meeting to meeting with her father, learning about the ritual and the history of the Magical Fusion Shield and every boring detail in between. The people of Nullin had been using the shield to protect themselves from Mazoku for 400 years now, but their latest shield had provided very little protection at all.

The shield was capable of preventing spellcasting, but it could not keep Mazoku and demons out like it could before. The shield had been put up by two fledgling mages 100 years ago, and apparently they hadn't had the power necessary to make a proper shield. Because of this, the council in Nullin were very adamant that the mages chosen this year be the most powerful in their field.

That was until the white mage they wanted sent his regrets from Seyruun. After that, the legendary black mage, Tobi Ginnalko, insisted they let his daughter, Dova, perform the ceremony with him. She was more than qualified, even if she was far from the best of the best.

It was while moving from one meeting to another that Dova stumbled on the steps of the library and hurt herself. She was able to hide the injury from her father's overprotective eyes, but the pain was unbearable. And she couldn't heal herself without leaving the anti-magic barrier.

Still, even under the circumstances, it was relaxing to finally find a moment to herself.

Her healing spell was almost complete when she heard a noise behind her, like shuffling footsteps. And they didn't sound human. She looked up, already terrified when she saw a group of five trolls behind her, standing between her and the shield.

The trolls were large and brutish, their skin color varying between a sickly-green and a smoky-blue. They had large mouths full of sharp teeth, large enough to stick out even when their mouths were closed. They growled at her as they lifted up clubs and clawed hands alike.

The girl stood up, her brow sweating from fear, but she raised her hands up to prepare a spell. She now wished she hadn't snuck away from her father. He was so much better in combat situations.

" _Flare Arrow_!" Three strips of red energy leaped from her hand, each one striking a different troll. The monsters collapsed to the ground, their chests smoldering where she struck them.

The other two charged, leaping into the air to try and tackle her. She couldn't help but scream before bringing up a quick magical _Windy Shield_. The trolls smacked into it, falling backwards in a dazed heap.

' _Now's my chance.'_ She ran forward towards the shield as fast as she could, making sure to side step the trolls she'd knocked down with her _Flare Arrow_.

She didn't side step far enough, however, as the one closest to her reached out, grabbing her robes. She fell forward with a yelp, but quickly twisted around, trying to pull her robe out of it's grip. But the troll held her fast, digging claws into the soft fabric as he raised up his club with a roar.

She closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable swing that would crush her flat.

A loud clang just above her head let her know that the swing didn't make it. She dared to look up, and saw the club that was meant for her had been blocked, by a long, red-gemmed staff.

She looked over at the wielder of the staff. The man was standing next to her, holding his staff before her, but all she could see was a long black cape and shoulder-length lavender hair.

The troll looked up at the man with a baffled, wide-eyed look. The man seemed to be struggling to hold the troll's club off with his staff, but to the troll's surprise, he lunged forward, knocking the troll backwards and off balance. He then raised a hand to cast a spell.

Dova couldn't hear the incantation, but she assumed it was some sort of wind spell by the way it suddenly picked up the troll, throwing him backwards with incredible speed. The troll flew back several feet, striking a tree so hard it splintered at its base and fell back with him.

The man turned to face her, and she looked up at him, gape mouthed. He smiled down at her sweetly, his eyes closed, but his face friendly. "Are you alright, White Mage-sama?"

"I…yes," she stammered out. The man before her looked like a priest, but she didn't know very many priests that could parry a troll club like that.

"Oh good." He looked back towards the forest. "Because it seems we're not done yet."

She looked in his direction and her eyes went wide with panic. What looked like an army of trolls began slowly walking out of the forest. If the trees hadn't been taller you wouldn't even be able to see them for the sheer number of monsters.

She stood up, staying well behind the dark priest.

The priest raised his staff into the air, gripping it with both hands. "Stand back, I'll take care of them."

He looked forward again, and began chanting, _"Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds, grant me all the power that you possess!"_

With his back to her, she couldn't see much past his billowing cloak. But with his hands in the air, she did notice the large, red-gemmed talismans on his wrists began to glow. With his magical amplification activated, he began to cast a spell that, thanks to her father, was very familiar to the shrine-maiden.

She gasped in surprise, 'Is that a…'

Before she could even finish her thought, a blast of fiery red and black energy sprang forth from the priests outstretched hands towards the forest. It struck the army of trolls, exploding into a huge, round blast the size of a small city.

The girl covered her eyes from the brightness and inevitable dust cloud that followed the blast. Once the dust settled, the priest turned around to face her. She couldn't help but stare at the crater in the forest where trees and trolls use to be.

"Trolls can be so irritating," the dark priest said as he addressed the girl. She looked back at him at the sound of his voice, blushing as she realized she'd been staring.

"I…you can cast the _Dragon Slave_?"

The priest chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously, "Well, kinda."

"You're no ordinary priest, are you?"

"No, I suppose I'm not." He leaned down, offering her a white-gloved hand. She gingerly took it, and he helped her stand up.

'Oh, dear, where are my manners." He said sheepishly as he released her hand. "My name is Xellos. May I ask yours?"

The girl looked up at him and blushed. "Everyone in town seems to insist on calling me White Mage-sama."

"Yes, but I am not a native of Nullin, if you couldn't tell." Xellos cocked his head to the side, smiling pleasantly. "So what is your name, really?"

She looked up at him, meeting his gaze and smiling. "My name is Dova." She looked away again and back at the forest in a futile attempt to hide her blush. "Dova Ginnalko."

* * *

Normally, a Mazoku like Xellos would not be able to call upon another power to cast a spell. Such an action could destroy him. It was only thanks to the Demons Blood Talismans (the same ones he sold to Lina 100 years later,) and the sheer will to keep his human disguise, that Xellos was able to perform a _Dragon Slave_ for Dova's benefit. And it was a task he never wanted to repeat again if he could help it.

It was all part of his plan. Over the next few days, he spent as much time as he could with the girl. He needed to gain her trust and acceptance, and if she happened to develop a crush on him in the process, all the better. He needed to get close to her if he was to gain her confidence; enough to convince her to perform the ceremony with him.

Granted there was still one more obstacle to that goal. And Xellos was going to get his chance to meet him today.

"You need to be on your absolute best behavior, Xellos-san." Dova said nervously as they walked down the cobbled street towards the Mayor's house. "Father will be at this dinner, too, and he's not an easy man to get along with."

"Your father is the Black Mage-sama, right?"

"Yes, he is," she answered, her voice quivering with nerves. "I can almost guarantee he's not going to like you, Xellos-san. Just keep in mind that he doesn't seem to like anybody that I do."

"Oh I don't know about that Dova-chan," he said cheerfully. "I might be able to win his trust. I'm quite good at it."

Dova shook her head. "I've met many who have the gift of 'charm,' Xellos-san. My father just seemed to hate them all the more. Please just do your best not to anger him. He mastered the _Dragon Slave_ when he was my age, and has slaughtered dragons, demons, and Mazoku in countless numbers. His power is legendary and he is also quick to anger."

Xellos smiled to himself. "Duly noted."

They arrived at the Mayor's Manor, a large, two-story home. The house was cream colored with golden-brown trimmings. The home was well maintained, and the garden in front was well manicured.

Xellos lifted his hand to knock, but the door swung open before he had the chance. A frazzled young servant stood there, looking as if he was out of breath. He had bright red hair and freckles, and when he saw Dova, he immediately straightened up and gave a stiff bow to her.

"White Mage-sama, thank goodness you are here. The Mayor and the Black Mage-sama are waiting for you." He stepped aside, giving her room to enter.

"Thank you," she said to the boy as she stepped into the home. Xellos followed close behind.

"The Mayor is in the dining area," the servant boy continued. He then rushed over to said dining area to announce her arrival.

They entered the elaborate dining area, greeted by the smell and sight of fresh-picked flowers. Only two middle-aged men were seated at the long, intricately designed mahogany table.

The first man was very thin, with a long, oval face and black, thinning hair. He had his hair combed over what was obviously a very bald top, and probably thought he was hiding it. He wore a long, gold satin tunic that went all the way to his knees, with a white shirt and leggings underneath. Xellos guessed that this was the Mayor.

The second man was more intimidating. He was actually shorter than Xellos by an inch or two, but his shoulders were broad and his build stocky. The man's face was square, his jaw chiseled and sporting a full, well-trimmed blonde beard. His long, thin blonde hair was tied at the nape of his neck in a small pony tail. He wore long black robes with reddish trim, all adorned with various magical trinkets and jewels.

He gave Xellos a very disapproving look, making it obvious this was the Black Mage-sama, and Dova's father.

"White Mage-sama!" The Mayor clapped his hands together, smiling at the young girl. "I'm so glad you could make it. And who is your friend here?"

Dova smiled and gestured towards Xellos. "Mayor, Father, this is my friend, Xellos-san. He's the one who saved my life the other day, at Nullin's border. Xellos-san, this is Mayor Monark and my father, Tobi Ginnalko."

"A pleasure to meet you," Xellos draped his arm across his chest and bowed elegantly.

Tobi narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but nodded in return. "I suppose I should thank you, Xellos-san, for saving my daughter's life." His eyes turned to Dova, who cringed under her father's powerful gaze. "Although I would have preferred you told me you were heading to the border so I could have protected you myself, Daughter."

Dova lowered her head shamefully, but said nothing. Xellos watched the exchanged with amusement, but he didn't show it, instead looking down at the young girl with apparent concern.

They all sat down to eat, and the conversation remained rather benign and boring through all five courses. Xellos was his usual charming self, but as Dova had predicted, her father was unfazed. He continued to glare at Xellos throughout the entire evening.

It was while waiting for desert to arrive that the Black Mage-sama pounced. "So what brings you to Nullin, Xellos-san? You certainly don't look like a native."

"Oh I'm not," he chuckled. "I actually came to study Magical Fusion, and couldn't pass up the chance to witness the Fusion Ceremony of Nullin for myself."

"Is that why you've been making eyes at my daughter? Because she's the White Mage-sama?"

" _Dad_!" Dova blushed furiously.

Xellos merely grinned. "Please do not worry yourself, Black Mage-sama. I admit that her association with the ceremony does interest me, but I assure you I have no illicit intentions towards your daughter."

"I'll be the judge of that." Tobi placed both elbows on the table, clasping his hands in front of his face so that only his narrowed eyes showed. "So tell me, Xellos-san. What is a priest like you doing casting black magic?"

Xellos picked up his goblet, taking a quick sip of the fine wine before placing the drink down to answer. "Magical Fusion involves both white _and_ black magic. I think it's reasonable that I would study both as part of my research."

"Priests shouldn't dabble in the Dark Arts." Tobi shot back.

Xellos cocked his head curiously. "And why is that, Black Mage-sama?"

"Black magic is all about taking power from Mazoku, the Race of Evil. The Mazoku want nothing more than to destroy this world. For a priest like you to dabble in such magic is blasphemous."

Xellos smirked. "But don't you know a few white magic spells, Black Mage-sama? I don't know of a single mage that can't cast a _Lighting_ spell, and that is white magic."

Tobi put his hands down, fully glaring at Xellos. "That isn't the same."

"Oh?" Xellos allowed his eyes to open slightly, matching Tobi's gaze. "If a priest like me can't dabble in black magic, why is it okay for a dark sorcerer like you to dabble in white? Seems rather hypocritical to me."

Tobi slammed his hand on the table, making Mayor Monark and Dova jump in surprise. "Why are you really here, Priest?" he shouted.

"Black Mage-sama, please!" The mayor intervened. "Please be polite, he's our guest!"

Xellos didn't budge, but merely grinned back, "As I said before, I came to study Magical Fusion. That is the truth, Black Mage-sama."

"And how did you intend to do that?" Tobi's eyes burned into the priest. "By playing my daughter like some cheap floozy?"

Dova's eyes went wide as she looked back at her father.

"Black Mage-sama," the mayor was almost in a panic. "That was way out of line. Please!"

Xellos frowned, pushing his chair back to stand. He did not answer Tobi, but instead turned his attention to the mayor. "Mayor Monark, it seems my being here has only caused trouble for your household. Because of this, I think it best that I take my leave early, with your permission of course."

Tobi sneered, "I knew it. You are hiding something aren't you?"

Mayor Monark grimaced, but nodded. "I understand. Please excuse my guest, Xellos-san. You are always welcome in my home if you choose to come back."

The black mage snorted. "Not while my daughter and I live here, he's not. I forbid it!"

Dova's hands were resting on the table, her head lowered and looking like she was about to cry. Xellos picked up one of her hands, which startled her into looking up at him.

"Don't be upset, White Mage-sama," he smiled at her, that same friendly smile that let all her doubts melt away. "You should be pleased that you have a father who wants to protect you."

He leaned down and kissed her hand politely, getting another blush from the young girl and a growl from her father. Xellos then released her hand and began walking out of the building.

"Thank you again for your hospitality, Mayor-san."

Xellos left the room and closed the door, but chose to linger close to the door for awhile, listening to the conversation that followed his absence.

"Father," he could hear Dova protest. "He didn't do anything! Why did you have to be so rude."

"I pride myself on having a good sense for people, Dova, and that priest was not to be trusted. I want you to stay away from him."

"But…"

"White Mage-sama, Black Mage-sama, please," the mayor interrupted. "Let's not dwell on it. Let's just enjoy the rest of our eveni…"

Xellos walked away from the door, allowing the servant boy to open the door to let him outside. There was nothing lost for him at this meeting. His only goal was to gain the trust of the girl. Her father's opinion of him was irrelevant.

He'd take care of Tobi soon enough.

* * *

The day of the ceremony arrived, and the people of Nullin were frantically making preparations, mostly in the form of celebration. The shield would go down sometime this evening, and the White Mage-sama and Black Mage-sama were prepared to put up a new and better one.

Xellos looked over the city from a cliff on the other side of Nullin Lake. He could see Nullin Park from where he stood, and there was a great gala going on. Lights from paper lanterns were strewn across the area, as people danced and feasted.

There were times that he would have been among them, having a grand old time just because he could. But he had work to do. He had to wait for the shield to actually go down before he could move on to the next step in his plan, but it wouldn't be long now. Despite the shield being invisible, he knew the exact moment the shield disappeared.

And from the way the people at the festival were lagging about, they, apparently, did not.

The Mazoku normally preferred to work alone, but this step required a bit of a…distraction. He lifted his staff in front of him, holding it horizontally, his other hand hovering over the red gem at the end. The gem began to glow brightly as he concentrated.

As if on cue, a multitude of portals opened up in the sky behind him. From each one emerged a wide variety of lesser demons.

They all hovered over Xellos, awaiting his order. The Mazoku priest merely stood there, patiently watching the shield around Nullin.

He felt the magical energy from the shield pulse and fluctuate. The humans of Nullin couldn't tell, but the shield quickly dissipated and vanished, leaving the city vulnerable to magic once again.

Xellos smiled to himself, and pointed his finger towards the city. The lesser demons sprang into action, flying across the lake to attack.

* * *

Dova Ginnalko stepped outside the mayor's home, with Mayor Monark himself following close behind her.

"The shield should be down now," he said as he began walking down the street. "Try your magic and see."

Dova nodded and stretched out her hand, palm up. She chanted a simple light spell, and watched as a ball of bright, white light appeared in her hand.

"That confirms it." The mayor patted the front pocket of his tunic, making sure the key was still there. "Let's head over the shrine. Your father said he'd meet us over there and…"

An explosion in the distance stopped the two of them in their tracks. It took only a quick glance at the sky to see what it was.

"Demons!" Dova cried, as she saw the swarm of creatures entering the city.

"White Mage-sama," the mayor said firmly as he turned to her, "We have to get you to the shrine now!"

* * *

The lesser demons swarmed Nullin Park, sending the partygoers scattering for cover. Some of the warriors drew their weapons and tried to fight off the demons, but they were quickly being overwhelmed. But there was one among the crowd that was fighting with what seemed like little effort

" _Elmekia Lance_!" Tobi cried as he let loose a shard of white energy towards the demons. There were hundreds of them, and only one lance, but that was no issue for him. " _Break_!"

The _Elmekia Lance_ shattered, hitting multiple demons at once. They all disintegrated on impact.

He was able to take out huge chunks of their forces at once, but it seemed like the demons just kept coming.

" _Dynast Brass_!" A golden pentagram burst forth from his hand, shooting lightning bolts all around it. Every demon it hit vanished in a sizzle of smoke. He was about to cast another spell, when he heard a strange musical 'whoosh' behind him.

He spun around, and his eyes went wide at what he saw. A large, black cone floated above him in the air. It seemed to be in constant spinning motion, point down, and was just slightly smaller than the size of a man.

Tobi knew what it was in an instant. "Mazoku," he snarled under his breath. He'd had the unfortunate "pleasure" of running into many in his life time. Thankfully, he had defeated every one.

There was no reason this one should be any different.

" _Elmekia Flame_!" A large pillar of white light shot out from his outstretched hands straight towards the cone. The Mazoku vanished just as it was to hit, only to reappear as soon as the spell passed by.

It was now the Mazoku's turn. Spinning more rapidly, it shot out several smaller cones that looked like it's main body towards the mage.

Tobi cast a quick _Levitation_ spell and shot into the air, deftly dodging the shots. "I can see you are not going to be an easy opponent." He growled. The cone did not answer, but Tobi didn't expect it to. The Mazoku that liked to appear as inanimate objects never spoke.

The cone hovered in place for just a moment before turning the pointed end of its body towards Tobi and shooting forward at top speed. The black mage adjusted his spell with expert ease, barely side-stepping the cone as it zipped past him. The cone did not stop however, and flew away from him across Nullin Lake.

This was not what Tobi had been expecting, but he merely snarled. "You think you can get away from me that easily?"

A quick cast of _Ray Wing_ and he made chase. He followed the cone across the lake, deeper into the forest, until the Mazoku stopped on a cliff far from the city.

Tobi landed nearby, smirking with confidence. "You were foolish to come here, Mazoku. I've killed many of your kind before, and I'll enjoy adding you to my list."

"Oh, I'm well aware of your achievements, Tobi-san."

The black mage was not expecting the cone to speak and took a step back in surprise. And that voice sounded very familiar…

It took only an instant for the cone to transform into purple-haired priest.

Xellos smiled cheerfully. "Hello!"

"You!" Tobi snarled. "I knew you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you, Priest. But I would never have guessed you were a _Mazoku_!"

"I'm very convincing, aren't I?" The jollity in his voice was rather unnerving, but Tobi tried not to let it show. "And you are so very predictable, Tobi-san. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist coming after a challenging opponent."

He narrowed his eyes, but smiled arrogantly. "So I suppose this is the real reason you were after my daughter. You're just using her to get revenge for my crimes against the Mazoku?"

Xellos cocked his head to the side curiously, "Revenge?" He then chuckled. "Oh, Tobi-san, your ego knows no bounds. The Mazoku you destroyed were barely low-class, not even worth noticing. Besides, it isn't _you_ I'm interested in at all. You just happen to be in the way."

"In the way?" This conversation was not going the way he had planned. "Just what are you up to, really?"

"I told you, I'm studying the Magical Fusion ceremony." Xellos opened his eyes slightly, grinning wickedly at the black mage. "And what better way to study it than to perform the ceremony myself, with your daughter."

Tobi's eyes went wide in horror, but he quickly shook it away, snarling at the Mazoku as he brought his hands together for another spell.

" _Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite."_

"Oh?" Xellos raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you knew that spell."

" _Rah Tilt!"_ A large stream of white light burst from his fingers, heading straight for Xellos.

The Mazoku didn't even bother dodging it. He raised up his hand, letting the light strike it, and the spell shattered, dispersing around him harmlessly.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Xellos said cheerfully. "You know the _Rah Tilt_. I was not expecting that."

Tobi snarled. The _Rah Tilt_ did absolutely nothing, so all of Xellos' praise just came off as insulting.

"You haven't even seen the extent of my power yet, Mazoku!"

Tobi touched the large red amulet on his chest, and it began to glow brightly. The amulet formed a magical barrier in front of him. It should buy him the time he needed for his most powerful spell.

He raised his hands above his head and began. " _Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time…"_

Xellos grinned to himself, and raised his hand up again. He wasn't trying to block the spell, however, as a small black cone, about as wide as his hand and twice as long, formed in front of it.

" _In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness! All the fools who stand in our way shall be destro…"_

The cone shot forward with great speed, but Tobi was not worried. His barrier should be able to protect him.

But he was wrong. The barrier may as well not have been there for all the good it did. The cone passed through it with ease and struck him square in the chest.

Tobi's spell was cut short and his eyes shot open in shock and pain. Xellos' attack punched a large hole in the center of his now bloody chest, a hole where his heart used to be.

He tried to scream, but it choked in his throat. He collapsed to his knees before falling face first on the ground, dead.

Xellos let out a sigh of relief and smiled cheerfully. "Well that's one task done. On to the next one!"

* * *

Dova was over by the shrine with the mayor, when a high pitched scream stopped her from entering. Across the street, a small girl had collapsed to the ground in an alley. A piece of a toppled building had knocked her over, a column crushing her leg before rolling away.

"White Mage-sama, we need to…" Dova ignored the mayor as she rushed over to the alley, crouching down in front of the crying child.

"Stay still, little girl," she said as she raised up her hands over the girl's leg. Her hands began to glow with a healing spell, and the little brown-haired girl simply watched, sobbing.

"White Mage-sama," the mayor caught up to her, ducking into the alley. "We need to get to the shrine. You'll be safer there."

"My father isn't here yet, Mayor-san," She said as she continued to concentrate on the girl. "I can't perform the ceremony without him, and this girl needs help."

"Then bring her over to the shrine!" The mayor was wringing his hands and glancing about in panic. He could hear the demon attacks getting closer, and he just wanted to get underground somewhere.

"I can't move her with her leg like this!"

The mayor opened his mouth to argue again, but a horrible growling sound interrupted him. He looked up to see a demon, baring down on them.

Dova had no choice but to stop her healing spell and cast another. " _Elmekia Lance_!" The demon was destroyed in a burst of light.

Five more soon followed behind it, and Dova cringed. She could cast another _Elmekia Lance_ , but it was the most powerful offensive spell she knew, and it wasn't enough for this many demons. By the time her spell killed one, the others would swarm her.

Dova reached into her cloak and pulled out an intricately designed scepter with a crystal ball on the end. She pointed in the direction of the demons. She was about to cast a _Barrier_ when a familiar priest flew in, landing directly in front of her and facing the demons.

The Lesser Demons all hesitated at the sight of him, but Xellos did not. He lifted his staff above his head, and in one sweeping, horizontal motion, all five demons disintegrated without a trace.

Dova and the others could only stare in wonder as Xellos turned around and grinned at them. "That was a close one, wasn't it?"

"Y…yes!" Dova stammered. "Thank you!"

"Dova-chan," Xellos gazed down at her crouched form, his tone turning serious. "You need to get the shield up. It's the only way to get rid of all these demons."

"But I can't," she cried. "Not without my father! He's not here yet."

Xellos grimaced and bowed his head in sorrow. "The people of the park said they saw your father go after some sort of Mazoku earlier. He hasn't been seen since. I'm sorry but I'm afraid…"

He let his words trail off. Dova gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears. She quickly shook them away. "I…I understand."

"But, then what do we do?" Mayor Monark exclaimed. He didn't mean to be insensitive, but there were more pressing matters. "We can't perform the ceremony without a black mage!"

That was the Mazoku's queue, and he grinned, "I can do it."

The mayor didn't look convinced. "You?"

"I'm more than powerful enough to do this ceremony, Mayor-san, I assure you."

"He is," Dova spoke up. "I can vouch for him. I saw him cast a _Dragon Slave_ while I was outside the shield."

"And we really don't have much of a choice now, Mayor-san." Xellos turned to face them fully. "We need to get that shield up _now_."

Mayor Monark finally nodded, reaching into his front pocket to pull out a key. He handed it to Xellos, who promptly took it. "I'll look after the little girl. You two hurry!"

* * *

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" Dova said as she pulled the golden box out of the cabinet behind the altar. The two of them were now inside the Magical Fusion shrine and making preparations.

"I did say I've been studying the ritual. I think I can handle it just fine."

"I hope you are right." She plopped the box on top of the altar and opened it, snatching up the blue ring and placing it on her left hand. Xellos picked up the red one, putting it on his right hand.

Dova set the box down on a nearby pew and came around to the other side of the altar. She stood at Xellos' right, and lifted up her hand to take his. He complied, letting their fingers intertwine so that the rings were in contact with each other.

They both gave the incantation needed to activate the rings, and their joined hands glowed with the magical enhancement

"Alright," Dova said with a sigh, placing her opposite hand on the altar. Xellos did the same and the altar began to crackle, with streams of black and red energy responding to their touch.

A simple countdown was made, and they both cast their magic into the altar at the same time.

A surge of black and red energy shot up from the altar, traveling clear into the ceiling and out of the shrine. Xellos could feel his Mazoku energy being drawn out, and he allowed it, relaxing his control enough to let the altar take hold.

It felt as though it might drain him dry, and Xellos furrowed his brow and tried to see if he could slow the progress. He did so with very little effort. In fact, he found he was easily able to manipulate just how much power the altar could take from him.

He heard a piercing scream next to him, a scream filled with pain and terror, but he ignored it. He could only imagine the experience was not a pleasant one for Dova, but it didn't matter. Now that he was successfully performing the ceremony, she was no longer important.

There was a bright flash of light that would have blinded a normal human, and then the altar was still. Xellos smiled, removing his hand from the now quiet altar, and he took the time to glance up at the ceiling, where he knew a fresh and interesting shield had formed outside.

" _This was only the beginning,"_ he thought with a smile _"Now it is time to find out what my power has done to the Magical Fusion shi…"_

He felt Dova's hand slip from his, and the limpness of it made him turn to look at her. He watched as she collapsed to the ground, her body skidding a short ways before resting on the wooden floor between pews. Her green eyes were wide open, but there was no life in them.

Xellos had seen enough death among humans to recognize it immediately, but he still stood there, staring slack jawed at her. He had not expected this at all. He expected the ceremony might be unpleasant or painful, but not _kill_ her.

He walked over to the body, kneeling down to look down at her face. Her eyes gazed into the distance, her mouth partially open in a manner that expressed a painful and horrifying death. With a careful hand, Xellos reached out and closed her eyes respectfully.

"So sorry, Dova-san." His voice held no remorse, just mild sorrow and confusion. "I did not predict this."

The door to the shrine began to rattle, and he stood up. The townsfolk were trying to get in, and Xellos knew that this situation would not look good for him. He looked down at the girl one more time before vanishing back into the Astral Plane.

* * *

It all happened 100 years ago, but Xellos still remembered it so well. He had gone through the moment in his mind many times, but still couldn't quite understand why she had died. Even with the immense amount of power he put into the shield, it just didn't make sense that it would take her life.

It was only now that he realized there may have been another explanation for her death.

Amelia's form began to stir, and a moan escaped her lips. Xellos looked down at her and smiled, helping the princess lift up her head.

Amelia reached out and grabbed a handful of Xellos' shirt, using it to try and pull herself up. She tried to stand, and the Mazoku, keeping his hands on her arms, helped to steady her.

"Be careful," he whispered gently. "It has been a long time since you've inhabited a real body, so take it slow."

Amelia stood up, her legs wobbling. She gripped Xellos' arm and shirt in an attempt to steady herself as she tried to straighten her legs. Once she felt steady enough, she looked up at Xellos. It was still Amelia's face, but her wide eyes were now a bright emerald-green color.

"Hello, Dova-san," he said cheerfully. "It has been a long time. How have you been?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 9: Sympathy  
> I think it's time to start forcing Xellos to experience those new emotions he's gained, don't you?
> 
> Author's Notes: So if you've recently read Magical Fusion, I'm sure some of you may be confused right now. When Duuchesney told the story of the Fifth Couple, she said it was originally comprised of two sorceresses who met as strangers during the ceremony.
> 
> Well, let's just say that Granny (the one who told the bandit the story) was suffering from a bit of memory loss and had never met Tobi herself. I assure all of you that this discrepancy has absolutely nothing to do with me neglecting to go back and read my own story in order to make sure I got my facts straight.
> 
> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!


	9. The Girl Of My Dreams

Gourry picked up the last shingle from the roof. Carefully he maneuvered it into place, then grabbing a spike from his clenched mouth he began nailing it into place.

The warrior sat up, smiling down at his work as he wiped sweat from his brow. They were all going to stay at the cabin for the next week or so while preparing the _Cleansing_ spell, and the place was in desperate need of repair. Seems a Mazoku using it for a façade didn't really care if the roof was leaky or some of the floor boards were water damaged. Good thing Gourry had a fair bit of experience with being a handyman.

He glanced up to see a familiar purple-haired priest return from his trip into town. "Hey, Xellos! Welcome back!" Gourry shouted from the rooftop.

Xellos looked up and smirked at the warrior, giving him a wave before entering the cabin.

As primitive as Burto seemed, it had a surprisingly well stocked _Scribe and Magic_ shop. It took only an hour for Xellos to gather up the parchment, ink, and quills he needed for the translation.

Xellos stepped into the cabin and found the table empty. It wasn't long before he had everything set up the way he wanted it; an ink well to his right, quill in hand, the Holy Book resting under his left hand as he wrote out the translation on the parchment between them.

Lina came in from one of the back bedrooms, and the sight before her made her pause. She had finally gotten used to the idea of a Mazoku translating a book of Holy spells, but there was one part of this set up she found especially odd.

"Are the glasses really necessary for you, Xellos?"

Xellos looked up, peeking at her from over a pair of tiny spectacles balanced on his nose. "No." He grinned cheerfully. "But don't they look cute on me?"

Lina groaned, putting her head in her hand. "Never mind."

Llygad, walked in from outside. She was apparently in 'adorable' mode again, as she practically skipped over to Lina, a beautiful necklace in hand.

"Hey Lina." Her voice was _very_ sweet, like the kind of sugared candy that makes you sick to your stomach. "Check out this necklace I bought at that magic shop! Isn't it beautiful?"

She held up a small silver chain choker, embedded with several red gems with the customary star pentagram inside each one marking them as magical.

Lina narrowed her eyes as she looked at the necklace suspiciously. "Oh yes, very pretty."

"Why don't you try it on? I bet it would go great with your red hair!" She was still smiling sweetly, handing the necklace to Lina.

The sorceress just glared at her. "Nice try, Llygad, but I can tell that necklace is cursed from here. I'm guessing it's a choker that actually _chokes_ you, huh?"

Llygad frowned and folded up the necklace, placing it back in her pouch. ' _Cute'_ mode was now over. "Damn, you are smarter than you look, Lina."

"And you should really be careful about getting on my bad side." Lina sneered. "I've killed dozens of Mazoku in the few years I've lived, and I doubt you would be much more of a challenge than they were."

Llygad smirked. "Oh I bet I could surprise you, Lina Inverse."

"Ladies, ladies, please," Xellos intervened, looking up from his writing. "There's no need to fight. We're all working towards the same goal, right?"

"Yea," Lina glanced over at Xellos. "But I think we all have very different motivations."

"Llygad-san," Xellos smiled, his eyes closed in his classic grin. "Your teasing only shows how cut off from the rest of the Mazoku you really are." He gestured towards the sorceress. "Lina-san here is personally responsible for the deaths of Dark Lords Gaav and Phabrizzo, and even one of the pieces of Ruby-Eye-sama. Show some respect!"

"Geez, I was just trying to have a little fun." She rolled her eyes, turning away and folding her arms stubbornly. "You two just have no sense of humor."

"Here's a funny joke for you," Lina snapped back. "A brainless Mazoku disguised as a human brat walks into a bar…"

"So, Llygad-san," Xellos interrupted cheerfully, despite the tension in the air. "Since you were kind enough to lend us the use of your cabin, and since we will be staying here awhile, perhaps it would be best if we all got to know each other better."

Llygad was still glaring furiously at Lina, but she smiled at Xellos' comment. She addressed her Mazoku companion but never took her eyes off the human sorceress. "I thought that's what we were doing. Getting to know each other better."

"Llygad-san," Xellos continued, twiddling his quill in his fingers. "I'm curious to know why you performed the Magical Fusion ceremony 300 years ago. And furthermore, why did you betray the Mazoku?"

Llygad finally broke her gaze from Lina to look at Xellos curiously. "I think that would be obvious to you." She suddenly grinned, looking back at Lina again. "Does your human pet here know what the mark does?"

"Yeah, it gave him a conscience," Lina said matter-a-factly, making Xellos cringe. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I had the mark once too, remember?" There was a trace of bitterness in her voice. "But unfortunately for me, I'm not favored by a Dark Lord like our smiling priest is here. Can you imagine what Dynast would have done to me if he'd figured out I gained a conscience, even if only briefly?"

"Oh, that would not have turned out well for you," Xellos said merrily.

"While my elven companion was preparing the _Cleansing_ spell that would free me, Dynast called me to him. I had no way of knowing if my Dark Lord had found out what happened to me, or if he just wanted to give me a new assignment. An assignment I doubted I could perform. Either way, I found I had no choice but to ignore his order and flee." She looked up again, swallowing nervously. "In other words, I committed the most unforgivable sin possible for a Mazoku."

"Which is?" Lina prodded.

"She defied her master," Xellos answered, his tone turning somber. "And for that, she was to be destroyed on sight by any Mazoku that found her."

"Except for the one trying to cure a silly brand on his finger," Lina chuckled. Xellos just gave her an annoyed look. "Still, Llygad, that doesn't explain why you performed Magical Fusion in the first place."

"No I suppose it doesn't." She said nothing more, but instead turned on her heels and walked out of the cabin.

Xellos just smirked as he went back to his writing. "Looks like someone has a secret."

Lina smiled mischievously. "Well you can't have all of them, Xellos?"

* * *

Llygad walked outside into the evening air. There was a small clearing around the cabin, but it was otherwise completely surrounded by forest.

To her left she could see the chimera and princess on the porch. They had found a chess board in town somewhere, and had placed the board on the wooden floor to play. Zelgadis sat cross-legged on the ground, while Amelia was lying on her stomach, one hand supporting her head while the other moved the pieces.

She couldn't tell who was winning, but it didn't seem to matter to them. They seemed to enjoy just being together, and it wasn't long before the Mazoku looked away and stepped off the porch in disgust.

"Heya, Lili'Pad! How ya doin?"

The voice made her stop and turn her attention to the roof. There was Gourry, waving to her, hammer in hand. At this particular moment, he was the last person she wanted to see, and with a growl, she ran into the forest to escape him.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?" he said curiously as he watched her go. Then with a shrug, he went back to his repairs.

* * *

Llygad would have loved to escape to the Astral Plane at this point, but she tried to do so sparingly. There was much too great a risk of being discovered by another Mazoku while there. Xellos may want her to live long enough to be cured, but any other minion of her master finding her and she was in for a fight. I fight she could most likely win, but it was an encounter best avoided.

So here she was, running on foot like the human she appeared to be, getting as far from the cabin as she could. If only for a while.

She made it to a nearby stream where she finally stopped. A small pool formed along the bank here, and she gazed into the water at her reflection. Her braids fell forward in front of her face, the only unusual part of her very normal human appearance. That and her red eyes, and the crimson tips of her hair.

She allowed just a small part of her true Mazoku form to show, as eyes began to form at the ends of each braid. She pointed them all in the direction of the pool, as though two eyes were not enough to see her reflection clearly. There were times she needed to remind herself that she was a Mazoku, not some inferior human girl.

She had no feelings for the human named Gourry, but his long blond hair and friendly smile reminded her of someone she _did_ have feelings for.

She first met the elf, Bastian, while traveling through Nullin. Well, technically she couldn't travel _through_ Nullin, as the shield prevented her from entering, but she found him, outside the shield, communing with nature or some other nonsense.

His hair was ridiculously long, and very blond, falling almost to his knees. He kept it in a pony tail tied at the nape of his neck. Being an elf, his ears were slightly longer than a human's and pointed at the ends. He also wore the white robes of a high-ranking priest.

And goodness he was such a fool. Not stupid, just naïve. He had to have been, for he became smitten with Llygad for reasons even now she simply could not fathom. And after a short while, she had become smitten with him as well, making her just as foolish.

It would surprise most people to know that Mazoku could, in fact, fall in love. It happened quite frequently in fact. It was common practice for Mazoku to pair up for greater power, and there was always great fondness between a Mazoku couple. But such fondness didn't stop them from double crossing each other at the drop of a hat.

That was the biggest difference between the breeding races and a member of the Race of Evil. Although they could all feel love, a Mazoku would never put as much credence on the emotion as a human, elf, or dragon. The lesser races would be willing to sacrifice everything for love, even their own lives. To a Mazoku, that was just idiocy. If their own lives were at risk, a Mazoku wouldn't lift a finger to rescue the one they loved. If their masters ordered it, they wouldn't hesitate to kill a lover. They'd just miss them when they were gone.

She had certainly fallen for the elf, and so when he asked her to perform the Magical Fusion ceremony 300 years ago with him, she figured, why not? It would certainly be interesting to see what would happen when pure demonic power was transferred into the shield, rather than the black magic that had to be filtered through a human host. And what harm could it possibly cause?

' _Yet, another sign of my foolishness_ ,' Llygad thought bitterly. If she had known what it would do, she would have refused outright. A conscience is not conducive to a long and happy Mazoku life, and she found herself crippled and at risk of execution.

Telling her elven lover the truth was difficult, but necessary. She needed his help desperately, and if revealing her true Mazoku self to a priest was what it took, then she had to do it. But even finding out what she was didn't sway Bastian's love, as it turned out.

He used his magic, taught to him by the dragons of the Katatar Mountains, to free her from the terrible curse. He even went a step further, and used his more traditional Elven Magic to protect her from demonic scrying. That magic had kept her from being caught by her fellow Mazoku for over 300 years.

Of course, he would have thought twice about who he chose to take as a mate, had he known what would happen a couple hundred years later. Elves were highly sought after by sorcerers' guilds, especially those conducting chimera experiments and the like, and poor Bastian had fallen into the hands of one while traveling through the Coastal States.

Now, Llygad could have tried to rescue him, but there were serious complications with that. For starters, attacking such a large and well renowned sorcerers' guild would have garnered the attention of the Mazoku. And then there was the fact that the Sorcerers' Guild of the Coastal States was built like a fortress, with wards and spells that made getting in difficult even for one of her kind. It just wasn't worth the suffering for her to rescue a single elf.

But still, she sure did miss him, even now. Part of her had been tempted to go back and see if he was still there, as unlikely as that was after over 100 years.

She removed herself from the stream and began walking back to the cabin. ' _Ah well, such is life_ ,' as human's would say. Once again she could be grateful she no longer had a conscience. It was bad enough that she missed him without actually feeling guilty about abandoning him as well.

* * *

Night fell, and the humans in the cabin retired to sleep. But it wasn't restful for all of them.

The dream was back again, and Amelia knew this one well. She was sitting in Nullin, inside of the Magical Fusion shrine. Like before, it was pristine and undamaged.

She turned around, not surprised to find she had company. Filia stood there, behind the altar. She wasn't smiling however. She looked, rather, disappointed.

"Filia-san." Amelia broke the silence first. "Why…"

"You haven't done what I asked." Filia scolded. "You were supposed to try and reform Xellos-san. Why haven't you?"

This took Amelia off guard, but she stiffened her lip in response. "I started to, but Xellos-san…"

Filia shook her head, giving Amelia a stern look again. "You mustn't give up so easily. His evil must be stopped, and you are the only one that can do it, Amelia-san. All that is good and holy is counting on you!"

* * *

Xellos had no need for sleep, so he worked through the night with the translation.

He dipped the inkwell one last time, writing out the last few words of the translation, and he was done! The Mazoku leaned back, sighing in relief and smiling at his handiwork. Once Amelia woke up, he could hand her the freshly written manuscript and she was on her own to learn the spell. He wasn't all that sure he could teach her Holy Magic, of all things.

A voice coming from the girls' room suddenly caught his attention. It was Amelia's voice, and the name she whispered was all too familiar to him.

" _Filia-san."_

Xellos' eyes shot open as he looked to the room. ' _Could she be?'_

In an instant he had ported himself beyond the door and into the room where Lina and Amelia slept. If Lina had seen him in there, standing over their cots, she probably would have _Dragon Slaved_ the whole cabin in her rage. But she didn't need to know. Lina wasn't the one he was interested in.

He watched as Amelia shifted in her sleep, and he could barely hear her mumble, " _I started…"_ How convenient that she was talking in her sleep, and she was having that dream Xellos was so very interested in.

The Mazoku knelt down in front of her cot, watching the shrine maiden as she slept. And he listened, oh so carefully.

* * *

"I don't have enough time," Amelia countered. "He'll lose everything as soon as we cast the _Holy Cleansing_ spell."

"You can't cast that spell!"

Filia's sudden and forceful answer shocked Amelia. "What? But why?"

"If you cast the _Cleansing_ , he'll lose his conscience and he'll be free to be evil again. You mustn't do it, Amelia-san! Countless lives are at stake!"

"But…but my life is at stake here." Amelia pointed at herself for emphasis, although she could already predict Filia's answer.

"You grew up knowing you might someday have to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, Amelia-san. For the sake of Justice!" Filia came closer, her eyes boring into the princess. "Besides, your friends can protect you from whatever the Dark Lord Beastmaster throws at you."

"I can't make my friends do that!" Amelia stared back at Filia in shock.

"Amelia-san, your friends have defeated Dark Lords, including Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdo and Phibrizzo. Beastmaster-sama herself, now the most powerful Dark Lord, doesn't compare to them. There's nothing she can throw at you or your friends that they can't handle."

"Now you listen to me," Amelia was getting really annoyed, and her voice had now taken the same grave and angry tone that Filia's had. "Every time we defeated a Dark Lord, it took everything we had, plus a lot of luck, _and_ we risked the destruction of the entire world. I can't ask my friends to do that just to keep Xellos-san from committing evil acts. Even I know that sometimes you have to pick the lesser of two evils!"

"Amelia-san," there were tears welling up in Filia's green eyes. "You haven't seen what I've seen. You haven't seen all the atrocities that Xellos-san has committed. As long as he has the mark, he cannot commit those evils. Don't you see? The longer you hold onto your link with him, the more lives are spared."

Amelia was about to argue back, but stopped. Something in what Filia said struck her as odd, and she narrowed her eyes at the woman. "And just how have _you_ seen all these 'atrocities?'"

Filia stopped, her eyes going wide. "I…I'm…I mean," she stammered, looking to the side as though searching for an answer. "I…I saw Xellos-san torture Valgaav-san in the outerworld. And…I saw him take Fil… I mean _me_ hostage…I mean I didn't see at as much as I was…"

Amelia smiled triumphantly as she watched the woman stammer. "You're not Filia-san, are you?"

The woman managed a nervous smile, "Yes! I mean no, I mean." She bit her lip, her eyes looking back and forth in a panic. "I…I don't mind you calling me 'Filia.' It's fine by m…"

"You are _not_ Filia-san," Amelia crossed her arms in front of her, finally feeling like she had the upper hand. "And deceiving people like this is evil! The light of Justice would frown upon such horrible trickery, and you should be ashamed." She pointed her finger at the woman. "I suggest you reveal your true self, you _False_ Filia. Abandon your suspicious ways and speak the truth!"

Filia's eyes went wide with sorrow and guilt, and she bowed her head in shame, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry." There were tears in the sound of her voice, and Amelia couldn't help but relax her Justice pose.

"Who are you, really?" The princess asked a little more gently. "What is your real name?"

The woman hesitated, removing her head from her hands to look up at Amelia. She pursed her lips, and finally closed her eyes in defeat. "My name is…my name is Ginnalko."

As soon as she said it, she was encircled by a bright, white light that forced Amelia to avert her eyes. When the light subsided, Amelia looked back, and the woman she knew as Filia was gone.

The person who took her place was barely more than a girl. She couldn't have been older than 16, and short, possibly even shorter than Lina, but only slightly. There was still some resemblance to Filia, mostly in the shape of her eyes and her golden blonde hair. Her eyes, like before, were emerald green but her hair was styled differently.

Two wisps of curled blonde hair framed her face, and the rest was wrapped in two buns on either side of her head, covering her ears. A solid white veil was attached to her hair, and hung down her back as a train. The pink frilly dress Filia wore was replaced with the navy blue dress-robes of a shrine maiden.

"Ginnalko-san," Amelia said, her voice stern. "It's not very just to use deceit to get what you want!"

Ginnalko hung her head, her fingers coming together nervously. "I just wanted to appear as someone you trusted, Amelia-san. I meant nothing by it."

"What is your connection with Xellos-san?" Amelia closed the distance between them, looking down at the young girl with authority. "Why are you so obsessed with his redemption?"

The strange shrine-maiden looked up at Amelia, her face now sober. "I hear everything he hears, and see everything he sees. It is my burden and my curse." She clenched her fists, tears coming to her eyes again. "And I tire of seeing his evil deeds, Amelia-san. He has finally stopped thanks to the marks, but I want him to stop forever!"

"How do you plan on doing that?" Amelia was feeling a little more sympathetic now, and she reached a hand out to the woman.

Ginnalko stepped away, her eyes suddenly flashing with anger. "Why? So you can go tell Xellos-san what I'm doing? Is that why you want to know?"

"What, no, I just…" Her sudden change in mood took Amelia by surprise.

"You are not a true shrine-maiden, Amelia-san!" She practically shrieked. "You're some Mazoku-worshiping hypocrite! You _want_ Xellos-san to do evil things again, don't you? _Don't you_!"

"Now wait just a minute," Amelia glared at the woman. "That's not…"

"You mustn't tell him about me!" She practically growled the line out, her tone becoming fearsome. "If he finds out who I am it will ruin everything!"

"But I wasn't going to…"

"And don't you dare cast that _Cleansing_ spell!" She was shrieking now, her voice quivering with enough anger to make Amelia take a step back. Ginnalko's eyes shone with such fire that it terrified the princess. "In fact, don't even bother casting it, Amelia-san. It won't work! _I won't let it_!"

* * *

Amelia woke up abruptly from her dream, her eyes shooting open and her breath catching in her lungs. She saw the ceiling of her cabin, but it took a moment to register that she wasn't in Nullin anymore.

She sighed in relief, closing her eyes as she thought about the dream. _'What was with her?'_ she thought to herself. ' _And what did she mean by the spell not working?'_

She opened her eyes again, and for the first time noticed the Mazoku priest standing over her bed. Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to scream, but a white-gloved hand closed around her mouth, stifling it.

Xellos brought his other hand up, his index finger touching his lips, shushing Amelia. It didn't calm her down much.

"Meet me in the main room, Amelia-san," he whispered. "I want to speak with you." And in an instant, he was gone, leaving a stunned Amelia behind.

* * *

Amelia quickly dressed, trying to be as quiet as she could. She then opened the door to the main area.

Xellos was there, sitting at the table. He looked up as she came in and smiled, as he always did. She very carefully and quietly closed the door to her room before turning to the Mazoku.

As soon as the door was shut, she stomped over to the table, slamming her hands down in front of Xellos. "What were you doing in my _room_?" Her voice was a harsh stage whisper, evidence that she still worried about waking a very volatile Lina.

Xellos leaned forward, completely unintimidated by Amelia's reaction. He put his hand on the stack of papers in front of him, and casually pushed them towards the princess. "I just finished it, Amelia-san. It's all yours."

Amelia noticeably relaxed as she looked at the stack. Xellos didn't have to say it for her to know it was the translation of the _Holy Cleansing_ spell.

Amelia took the papers and grabbed a seat in a nearby chair to look them over. There were at least ten pages of writing and descriptions. "Wait, this can't be? The spell in the book was only three pages long."

"The ancient dragon language is much more efficient than your human tongue," Xellos answered her. "It can take several sentences written in your language to explain one written in dragon."

Amelia nodded, accepting that response. Browsing through the pages, she also noticed that Xellos had taken the time to explain pronunciation and intricate details pertaining to the spell. It was clear he wanted to make absolutely certain the spell was cast correctly.

"Xellos-san," Amelia glared at the Mazoku. "You could have just waited till I woke up to tell me you finished. It's still dark outside!"

"I noticed you were awake," he continued to grin at her. "And I guess I really just couldn't wait to tell you."

The Mazoku reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "I took the liberty of also making a shopping list of the items we will need to make the magic circle. I'm sure you can get Zelgadis-san or Lina-san to help you gather them up."

Amelia sighed, placing the papers back into a neat stack. "I thank you, Xellos-san, for translating this. If this is all you wanted, than I'm going to go back to bed." She stood up. "I can go through it in the morning."

"On this list," Xellos continued and Amelia stopped to listen, "is an ingredient known as Yangin Mushrooms. They grow around here, and are best picked before dawn." He waved the list at her. "A lot of the reagents on this list are very expensive. It would save you money to pick the mushrooms and dry them yourself."

Amelia stared at him suspiciously. "Why can't you do it?"

"I'm afraid the mushrooms must be picked by a priest or a shrine-maiden, or they will do us no good." He grinned wider. "I may be a Mazoku priest, Amelia-san, but I don't think I qualify in this case. I can take you to where they grow, but I need you to pick them."

"We can always wait until tomorrow." Amelia looked over at her bedroom door. She was so tired and just wanted to go back to sleep again.

"They still need to dry, Amelia-san. The sooner we pick them the better."

Amelia said nothing, continuing to look at her bedroom door. Her gaze wandered over to the men's room as well, but she refused to look straight at the Mazoku.

Xellos cocked his head curiously at the princess, then gave a little chuckle. "Oh, I see, you really don't trust me, do you?"

She finally turned to look at Xellos, and the look on her face confirmed his assumption.

"Amelia-san, my main interest is in getting this spell cast so we can sever our link. And don't forget," he grimaced slightly, "in my present condition I simply cannot hurt you. You have nothing to fear from me."

She relaxed a little at his comment, but still looked away. Xellos stood up, turning towards the door to the cabin. He placed a hand on the doorknob before turning back to Amelia, "Please follow me, Amelia-san. This won't take long."

He watched Amelia, but she wasn't budging. She turned away from him, wringing her hands together nervously. The gesture wasn't lost on the Mazoku.

"Amelia-san." He spoke to her in a compassionate and sincere voice. "I promise you I will not hurt you. Please, come with me."

Xellos reached out a hand in offering. Amelia hesitated for a moment, then with a sigh she walked over to the door. She didn't take the Mazoku's offered hand, but when he opened the door, she stepped out with him into the night.

* * *

The night air was cool, but not unpleasant. Signs were already evident that the morning sun was going to peek over the mountains in an hour or so, as birds were starting to sing, and the crickets were quieting down.

The Mazoku priest led Amelia through the forest. He walked straight, cutting through the brush with ease. He had a clear idea of just where he was going.

Zelgadis' words rang in her ears now, demanding to be heard. _'Amelia, I think it might be a good idea to stay away from Xellos.'_ And yet, here she was, following the Mazoku, just the two of them, to who-knows-where.

"How far is it?" Amelia asked, not all that sure if she would get an answer.

"We're almost there," he responded, still looking ahead. "There's a river near here. Despite the flammable properties of the mushrooms, or perhaps because of it, they like to grow in very damp areas."

They entered a clearing shortly afterwards. There was a cliff face to their right with a waterfall pouring into a small stream below. A few trees grew around the waterfall, and it was one of these trees that Xellos approached.

"Ah, here we are," he said as he knelt down, glancing inside a hole at the trunk. "The mushrooms like to grow inside the hollows of trees." He looked back at Amelia smiling. "I hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty, Amelia-san."

Amelia glared at Xellos as she pulled a small sack from a pocket in her cloak. Xellos stepped aside to give her room as she walked over to the hollow and knelt down, looking inside. Sure enough, she saw several red-speckled, black mushrooms growing inside.

She let out a sigh of relief. "I guess you were telling the truth, Xellos-san." She reached in, gently picking each of the mushroom and placing them in her bag. The mushrooms were very moist, but also surprisingly hot to the touch.

As soon as she gathered them all up, she cinched up the bag and placed it in her cloak. She wiped her muddy hands on her tunic before standing up.

She was about to announce she was finished, but Xellos spoke up first. "So, I guess you had another dream about Filia-san last night, didn't you?"

Amelia blinked in surprise and turned around, staring at the Mazoku. "What? How did you know?"

He smiled cheerfully at her. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

"Huh?" Amelia blushed furiously. "I do?"

"Sometimes." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be honest, Amelia-san. The mushrooms were just a ploy to get you out here so I could talk to you about her. Your dreams truly fascinate me."

Amelia narrowed her eyes, glaring at the Mazoku. "I knew it. I knew I couldn't trust you."

"Oh, it's nothing for you to be afraid of, Amelia-san," he waved his hand defensively. "I simply wanted to speak to you in private where the others wouldn't interfere."

Amelia sighed in defeat, resting her head in one hand. He had already dragged her out here, so there was no point fighting it.

He smiled, letting his narrow eyes open slightly to look directly at her. "I'm afraid I could only hear your half of your conversation, Amelia-san. I wanted to find out what it was she told you." He suddenly grinned, amusement evident in his tone, "It sounded a lot like she's still trying to reform me."

Amelia cringed. "Yeah, she's rather adamant about it."

Xellos chuckled. "Yes, well, seems Ginnalko-san is still as naïve as ever."

Amelia's eyes went wide, and she gaped at the Mazoku. "How did you…"

"I did mention you talk in your sleep." Xellos interrupted.

"I said her name too?" Amelia blushed, feeling ashamed. "She told me not to tell you anything about her."

Xellos frowned. "Really? I had figured after what she and I had been through together she'd want me to know she was okay."

Amelia's eyes went wide again. "You know her?"

"Of course I do," Xellos said matter-of-factly. He stepped closer to Amelia till he was standing directly in front of her. "I met her a long time ago. I was even there when she tragically died."

Amelia's eyes went wide with fear, "You mean…"

"Yes, Amelia-san, I believe your dreams are being haunted by a _ghost_."

Amelia paled and a shudder went through her. She had always been horribly afraid of the undead, despite her white magic training.

"Oh, don't be frightened," Xellos said in his typical cheerful manner. "She's really a very nice girl."

Amelia looked at the Mazoku skeptically. ' _Nice? You didn't see what she was like at the end of my dream.'_

The princess swallowed her fear, standing up to give Xellos a determined stare. "If she hasn't moved on, Xellos-san, then we have to help her. Justice demands that we find Ginnalko and show her the light at the end of the tunnel." She puffed her chest out proudly. "We must send the spirits of the dead to their final resting place so they can trouble the living no more!"

"I agree." Xellos leaned on his staff, bringing his face closer to the princess, who took a step back instinctively. "But, in order to do that, I need to know where she is and how she is communicating with you, Amelia-san. Anything she said could be helpful in finding her."

She stared back at him in confusion, while taking another step back. He was getting way too close for comfort, but she tried not to show it. "But if she's haunting me, shouldn't she be somewhere nearby?"

"That's what I'd assume," Xellos shrugged. "Can you think of anything at all, Amelia-san?"

She hesitated, thinking back to her dream, and she pursed her lips in thought. "She didn't tell me where she is, Xellos-san. But, she did say something strange. She said she could see everything you see and hear everything you hear. I don't know what she meant by that."

Xellos frowned, standing up straight again. "I see. Well that is not the answer I wanted to hear, but it is the one I was expecting."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't answer her, but instead closed his eyes, bringing his staff before him as though to cast a spell. No spell came, however. He just stood there, perfectly still and perfectly quiet.

Amelia shuffled her feet as she looked at him, but he was ignoring her. She couldn't tell if he was just concentrating, or doing a wonderful imitation of a priestly statue.

She took this opportunity to put some distance between herself and Xellos, walking backwards a ways. Instinct told her to just head back to the cabin and leave him, to flee while she had the chance. But there was a lost ghost out there, somewhere, and her desire to help the poor soul kept her rooted.

It felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes before she heard Xellos finally let out a low chuckle. "There you are, Ginnalko-san. Amelia-san, I do believe I have found her."

"You…you have?" She looked back at him anxiously. "Where is she?"

"She's close," he said. "But there's a bit of a…complication. It seems I'm going to have to borrow you for a moment."

He opened his eyes, staring her down with that frightening stare Amelia knew all too well. It wasn't a cruel stare, but it made her blood turn cold. Something wasn't right.

But even Amelia's new-found dread didn't prepare her for what happened next. Xellos lifted up his hand, fingers spread, pointing them towards Amelia. Each fingertip began to glow red with magical energy, and then shot forth towards her feet.

Amelia could only watch as each glow of red energy landed around her, surrounded her on all sides, before lines linked each of them together, like a game of connect-the-dots. They eventually formed a glowing-red, five-pointed star directly at her feet.

The princess' eyes went wide in horror. It was a Mazoku pentagram, targeted on _her_.

"Xellos-san! What are you doing?" Amelia cried out, and tried to run away. But she couldn't move. It was as if her feet were glued to the ground.

Xellos walked over to Amelia, closing the distance between them. Unable to move, she could only watch in horror as he got closer.

"No!" Amelia screamed, but she couldn't stop it. The Mazoku lifted up his hand, the same one he had used to cast the spell, and he snapped his fingers.

A gust of energy shot up from the pentagram, causing Amelia's hair and clothes to whip around her. But she could not move or scream. Her entire body was paralyzed from the spell. Mercifully, it wasn't long before everything around her turned black, and she fell into unconsciousness.

Amelia's limp body fell forward, and Xellos caught her easily with his free hand, crouching down into a kneeling position as he did so. He looked down at the princess, her head now resting on his shoulder, and smiled. He had promised he wouldn't hurt her, so catching her was necessary.

It wouldn't be long before she would stir again, and he could finally get the answers he was seeking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 8: Flashback  
> So who is Ginnalko? To find out, let's take a bit of a history lesson.


	10. Guilt and Remorse

"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia's voice was high pitched with dread, her shaky hand still partially covering her mouth as she looked at him. She hadn't quite wrapped her mind around what was going on, but she knew this wasn't good.

The chimera didn't even glance in her direction, his focus was entirely on the Mazoku. Xellos stood up from his crouched position. The Mazoku was not smiling, his eyes closed and his expression unreadable.

" _Astral Vine_." Zelgadis' voice was barely above a whisper as he cast the spell, but it was just as effective. The blade of his sword glowed a bright red, and he slowly walked forward.

Amelia stood up, taking a quick glance at Xellos before turning back to Zelgadis. She wanted to say something, _anything_ , but no words would come. She wasn't sure just what Zelgadis saw, and honestly she wasn't even sure what she and Xellos had _done_. But from the chimera's reaction, she knew he had seen more than enough.

The tension was shattered in an instant, and Amelia let out a cry of alarm as Zelgadis suddenly charged towards the Mazoku, slashing his sword across his middle. Or at least what would have been his middle had Xellos not leaped into the air at the last minute, causing Zelgadis to hit nothing but air.

This didn't deter the chimera, who cast a quick _Levitation_ and followed him into the sky. He growled as he lifted his sword above his head, swinging it down on Xellos. The Mazoku quickly brought his staff up with one hand, parrying the blow with ease.

"Zelgadis-san! Stop, please!" Amelia cried out. There was no way the chimera could ever defeat Xellos. Their powers weren't even close to the same level.

Her cries seemed to fall on deaf ears. It was as if Amelia didn't even exist in Zelgadis' world right now. Just Xellos, and only because he wanted him _dead_.

Zelgadis let go of his sword with one hand, pointing it at Xellos to cast a spell. _"Elmekia Flame!"_

A white flame shot out of the chimera's hand at close range, but Xellos already had his opposite hand at the ready. The _Elmekia Flame_ hit a shield that had formed just in front of his palm, and it dissipated harmlessly in the air.

But even as he cast the spell, Zelgadis was already preparing his next move. He spun around, bringing his sword around to slice at Xellos' neck. He once again hit nothing as Xellos teleported away just before the sword would have struck.

Zelgadis spun around in the air, looking for his opponent. It didn't take him long to find Xellos, who was on the ground again, a few feet away, his arms upraised towards Zelgadis as though ready to throw a spell at him.

But that was all he did. No spell came, and Xellos furrowed his brow in frustration. Zelgadis dropped to the ground, raised his sword and charged the Mazoku again.

The battle seemed to go on forever as Amelia watched. Zelgadis constantly swinging his sword and casting astral spells in between. Xellos continued to block and counter everything effortlessly.

It didn't take long for Amelia to notice something about the fight that gave her hope. Xellos was completely on the _defensive_. The Mazoku had yet to make a single move to _attack_ Zelgadis.

' _Is he just trying to wear him out?'_ If so, it wouldn't take long, with the amount of power and energy Zelgadis was putting into his assault. The princess pursed her lips and brought her hands up, ready to cast a spell of her own to help Zelgadis. _"You who crosses between sky and earth, gently flowing water,_ _gather in my hand and give me p…"_

"Stay out of this, Amelia!"

The rage in Zelgadis' voice startled Amelia, sending a chill through her, but she obeyed, cutting off her spell. She looked up to see Zelgadis raised in the air, lifting his hand to cast another spell. Apparently, she gave him an idea, as he chanted a similar, but much more powerful spell.

" _Supreme King with the frozen soul. Grant me the power of your icy rage_!" Streams of white ice began to circle his hands as he cast the spell. " _Dynast Breath_!"

The icy streams shot forth towards Xellos at incredible speed. The Mazoku didn't move or react in any way, essentially allowing the frozen streams to envelope him in a thin but strong casing of ice.

Zelgadis didn't hesitate. He made a cutting motion in the air and the icy prison cracked and broke apart, shattering Xellos inside of it. Amelia couldn't help but gasp and hold her hands to her mouth in horror. When she had attempted to cast her spell, she had only hoped to imprison him, not _shatter_ him.

As the ice fell to the ground, black streams of energy emerged from separated pieces, reuniting a few feet away. They swirled around each other, forming what looked like a solid black tornado, before taking on the forum of Xellos in one swoosh. He, as before, was completely unhurt, and just stared at a frustrated Zelgadis.

Xellos knew he could keep this kind of thing up indefinitely, but Zelgadis was already showing signs of fatigue. He didn't like fighting this way, though. There was no honor or dignity in simply wearing an opponent out.

And yet, that horrible feeling of guilt that he was becoming all too familiar with refused to let him fight back. But _why_? Zelgadis attacked _him_. He would be perfectly justified in retaliating.

Xellos narrowed his eyes, lifting his hand up to cast a spell. Maybe, if he used a spell that would immobilize the chimera, but not hurt him, he would be okay.

Streams of black magic, like transparent, solidified smoke, emerged from his outstretched hand and shot out towards Zelgadis. The chimera growled as he sliced at them with his sword, but for every one that he cut, two more passed through his defense. The streams of magic began wrapping themselves around the chimera, weaving in and out until he was completely covered in a blanket of transparent black.

As soon as he was enclosed in the spell, Zelgadis found himself unable to move. He struggled and twitched, but he was against Xellos' power.

Zelgadis was unhurt and unable to move, but it didn't help Xellos. He gritted his teeth and deliberately broke his spell, releasing Zelgadis faster than he had entrapped him. The Mazoku sank to the ground, landing calmly there and looking back up at his adversary.

Zelgadis didn't even stop to wonder why Xellos released him. He brought his hand up again, chanting his most powerful spell.

" _Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and everlasting infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite! RAH TILT!"_

A large blast of blue-white flame rose up from the ground at Xellos' feet and enveloped him in light. The beam was so powerful and intense that Amelia was forced to avert her gaze, bringing her hand up in front of her.

Zelgadis sank to the ground and collapsed to all fours, dropping his sword, which quickly lost the red glow from his _Astral Vine_. He breathed heavily, sweat pouring off of him. The chimera was finally spent.

The _Rah Tilt_ he had cast with the last remaining bits of his power deteriorated, and Xellos stepped out of it, walking towards him. The Mazoku, once again, was completely unharmed.

"If you are finished now, Zelgadis-san," he said as he walked up to the exhausted chimera. "Perhaps now we can be a bit more civil about this whole mess."

Zelgadis growled, never looking up at the Mazoku. "Damn you," he said in a hoarse whisper. He didn't move, even as he felt Xellos approach. He was exhausted, but his rage was just as strong as ever.

"Stop it, Xellos-san!" Amelia rushed forward, placing herself between Zelgadis and Xellos. Zelgadis could see the back of her feet as she stood in front of him, but he didn't react. "Just…just go _away_! You've hurt him enough!"

Xellos stopped, cocking his head as he looked at the princess. "Amelia-san I didn't hurt him at all. He attacked me, remember?"

"Just go away!" she screamed, bringing her hands up in preparation for a spell. "I mean it!"

The Mazoku was getting very annoyed. "Amelia-san, if you just let me…"

"GO!"

Her voice left no room for debate, and Xellos sighed in defeat. "Fine, if that is what you want."

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

The clearing became deathly silent. Not even the sound of a cricket or bird could be heard. The sun was now peaking over the horizon, giving the clearing an eerie, dreadful glow.

Amelia dropped her hands to her side and turned back to Zelgadis. He was still on the ground, his head down so she could not see his face. His breathing was heavy and labored.

She knelt down next to him and brought her hands up. She didn't even have to say a word for them to begin to glow with the power of her healing spell. "Hang in there, Zelgadis-san, you'll be just fi…"

"Stop it, Amelia!"

His voice was harsh and angry, and Amelia stopped her healing spell in surprise. "But…"

"What happened?"

He looked up at her now, and she was taken back by his appearance. His face was taut, his eyes burning with inner fury as he looked at her. His eyes narrowed, and his next words came out in a growl. "What the _hell_ happened?"

"I…" she stammered, trying to think back. But she couldn't remember anything. All she could remember was walking with Xellos into the woods, and the next thing she knew she was...

Her face paled, "I…I don't know…"

"Are you kidding me?" he cried out, and Amelia cringed. "Is that the best you can come up with?"

"I'm sorry," she begged. "I was talking to Xellos-san one moment and…"

"I told you to stay away from him!"

She cringed again, hugging herself protectively. "I…I know. But he said he wouldn't hurt me. I didn't think he was going to…"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes at her, "Do what, Amelia? I saw the whole thing. He didn't do anything. _You_ were the one who..."

Neither of them could bring themselves to say the words, but Amelia was horrified at Zelgadis' suggestion. _'_ I _kissed_ him _?'_

"Amelia," Zelgadis gulped, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't working very well. "Please tell me he cast a spell on you, or threatened you, or something. _Anything_."

Amelia thought, and thought hard. She wanted to tell him what he needed to hear, but she couldn't really _lie_. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind came up with a blank. She could remember Xellos standing around like a statue, then walking up to her, and then after that…

She hid her mouth behind her fist, her eyes tearing up. She looked at Zelgadis pleadingly, but she didn't know what to say.

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes and stood up, picking his sword up as he did so. He sheathed it back into his scabbard and proceeded to march towards the cabin in tense silence.

"Zelgadis-san wait!" Amelia stood up, looking after him. If he would just give her more time to think, maybe she could come up with an answer.

He glanced back at her, and Amelia knew there was no patience left. His face was now stone-cold and unreadable, and he spoke in barely above a whisper. "I'm done with you, Amelia." He turned back around, walking back into the forest. "We're _done_!"

Amelia's tear-filled eyes went wide, her body trembling in anguish. She could only watch, helplessly, as he disappeared into the overgrowth.

* * *

Xellos watched the exchange between the chimera and princess from the Astral Plane. Not one single detail, a single word, or the smallest bit of wafting emotion escaped his notice. The whole situation couldn't have gone more wrong.

As a Mazoku he fed on negative emotions to increase his demonic power. It was an automatic action and not something a Mazoku could turn on or off. Under normal circumstances, this would be just fine. But in Xellos' condition, being able to sense the true extent of Amelia's pain to a measurable degree was the last thing he wanted.

He had sensed Zelgadis' approach even before Dova had leaned over to kiss him. Now, looking down at Amelia, he wondered why he didn't do more to avoid it. Before he had inherited all these new and frustrating emotions, he wouldn't have hesitated to put the ghost back in her place. Then he could have somehow convinced Amelia she had just had a momentary lapse, and they'd be back at the cabin before the sun rose. No harm done, as he'd promised, and he could keep the information about the little ghost girl all to himself.

But he _did_ hesitate. Dova was right, he was responsible for her predicament, and some new part of him wanted to make it up to her. He should have expected that the wish of a fourteen year old would be something like letting her experience her first kiss. Humans, especially the young ones, were strange like that. But even he couldn't have predicted that surprise kiss causing this much damage.

He watched as Zelgadis went out of sight, and Amelia sank to her knees, resting her head in both hands. Xellos didn't need to see her face. He could feel the grief and confusion radiating from her like a dark aura.

He didn't expect they'd break up, but normally he'd be thinking it was all the better. Break ups always created such delicious emotions for Mazoku consumption without the added effort of torturing victims directly. Xellos would normally be delighted by this turn of events.

Normally…

He allowed himself to materialize into the Physical Plane, just a few feet away. He saw Amelia lift her head slightly, but the princess did not look his way. She didn't have to look to know he was there.

The Mazoku slowly walked up to her, and spoke in a voice filled with genuine concern and apprehension. "Amelia-san?"

She didn't look up, but he watched her place her hands back in her lap. A tear fell onto one of her hands, running down her finger to hit the ground.

"You promised…" She whispered, her body shuddering with a barely controlled sob. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me, Xellos-san."

Xellos' eyes moved to the ground just in front of Amelia. He found he couldn't really look at her right now. "I'm afraid things got out of my control."

Before now, all the guilt he had suffered had been from causing _physical_ pain or injury, presumably even death. He had made the assumption that those were the only things he had to worry about, and as long as he avoided causing any bodily harm to Amelia, he'd be fine. Everything else was still on the table.

She still had the scratches on her arms caused by Dova, but they certainly were not severe enough to make him feel like _this_. He'd caused plenty of emotional pain and annoyance with no ill side effects before, even with his new conscience. But this time…

"I'm sorry about your arms, Amelia-san," he said as his eyes wandered up to the scratches. Amelia glanced at them, as though noticing for the first time. He could see her face now, and her eyes were red and filled with tears.

She clenched her fists in her lap, glaring up at Xellos with trembling lips, "You think _this_ is what I'm upset about?"

"Well, no…" he answered sheepishly. "I just thought I'd…"

"What did you do to me?" she cried, her body shaking with rage. "Why did you do this?"

This was the part where Xellos would normally come back with some sort of snide, but always humorous, remark. Perhaps he'd remind her that she kissed _him_ , as Zelgadis had conveniently mentioned. Or maybe he could tell her that if Zelgadis really loved her, he would have trusted her more and not left her. Maybe he could even have mentioned that she had scratched up her own arms, well sort of…

But he didn't say any of those things. He could only stare blankly at the crying princess. Every comment he tried to say just caught in his throat, as if his newly found emotion would strangle it before he could say it.

Xellos bowed his head again, preferring to look at his own feet this time. There was only one thing he could think to say at this moment. One thing that maybe, just maybe, would take this horrible pain away from him.

"Amelia-san, I'm…I'm sorr…"

" _Vis-Fan Rank_!"

Xellos looked up in time to get a magically-enhanced punch to the face from Amelia. As if the Mazoku needed more surprises today, she struck _true_ , and he stumbled backwards, falling to the side and all fours from the force of her blow.

There was a great deal of pain in the side of his face and he brought his hand up to it, not believing what he was feeling. His eyes were now wide with confusion. An attack like that shouldn't have even _touched_ him. He had automatic barriers up to block such weak human attacks. _'How did she…?'_

He looked up at Amelia questioningly, but all he saw was her back disappearing into the forest, running as fast as she could back to the cabin. He stared after her, but did not follow. Instead he sat down, bowing his head again, his hand still covering the cheek where Amelia hit him.

He sat alone in the chilly, silent morning air, with only his pain to keep him company.

* * *

"Best two out of three!"

Gourry groaned, glaring at the red-head. "That is not what we agreed to, Lina."

"Of course it is." She brought her hand up, fist in the air. "Come on, Gourry. Don't chicken out on me now."

Gourry glowered at Lina, but brought his own fist up in the air to match hers.

Both chanted at the same time. "Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

Gourry slapped his 'paper' hand onto Lina's 'rock' hand, covering it. "I win again, Lina."

"Best three out of five!" She didn't even miss a beat.

Gourry lowered his head in annoyance, removing his hand from hers. In reality, it didn't matter how this game went. Lina would keep upping the game until she either won, or stormed out of the room in disgust. Either way, Gourry was going to end up doing the dishes.

Deep down, however, Gourry couldn't help but smile at the situation. He wasn't sure why, but he loved playing these kind of games with Lina, even if he did end up losing no matter what.

"Come on, Gourry." Her hand was in the air again, ready for another go.

He raised his up as well. "Rock, Paper, Sci…"

They were interrupted by the door to the cabin swinging open violently, as though hit by a hurricane. Zelgadis stormed into the cabin, never even glancing in the direction of the warrior or sorceress. He headed straight for his room, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. The force of the closing caused the door to splinter around the doorknob, corners, and hinges.

Lina and Gourry stared at the door in shock, watching as a few more splinters and chunks of wood fell from it. They blinked twice, then looked at each other questioningly.

"What the hell was that?" Lina asked as she stared at her companion, then back at the door.

"I think that was Zelgadis," Gourry answered.

"I know that, you numbskull," Lina growled at him. "I want to know why he walked in like that!"

She stood up in her chair, leaning her hands on the table and shouting at the door. "Hey Zel! I hope you know you are going to have to repair that door you jer…"

"Don't Lina." Gourry placed an arm on Lina's shoulder, and she looked down at him in surprise. Gourry was staring at the door, his look so intense it caught the sorceress off guard.

"What? We can't expect you to repair everything around here, Gourry."

"That's not what I'm talking about." He looked back at Lina. "Something's wrong, Lina. Listen."

The sorceress stopped, still surprised at Gourry's intensity, but she obeyed, cocking her head to pay attention. She could hear shuffling and banging inside of the room where Zelgadis was. It sounded like he was… _'Oh no…'_

Zelgadis suddenly emerged, a sack hanging over his shoulder. He made one quick glance at the couple, and Lina's eyes went wide when she saw the look on his face.

It was expressionless, cold, except for a burning fire behind his eyes. She's seen Zelgadis angry before, but it had been a long time since she'd seen him like _this_.

Zelgadis walked past the two of them without saying a word, swinging the door open and walking out, not even bothering to close it.

Lina stared at the door, slack jawed, before panic took, "What the hell? He's _leaving_!"

She leaped from her chair and out the door, followed closely by Gourry. "Zel! Zelgadis, Wait!"

The chimera didn't even glance back, he just kept walking at a fast and tense pace. It was as though the world around him didn't even exist, just the extreme desire to get back on the road and away from here as fast as possible.

Amelia emerged from the forest running, but she froze as she saw Zelgadis walking her way. Lina and Gourry also stopped as they saw the princess, the look on Amelia's face confirming that she was involved.

Zelgadis walked up to her, but didn't look at her till he was right next to her. He glanced over, giving her the same cold, angry expression Lina saw earlier.

Amelia covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes brimming with tears, but if she was hoping for sympathy from Zelgadis, she wasn't going to get it. The chimera narrowed his eyes at her before averting his gaze and walking away. Amelia could only watch as he walked down the path into the forest and out of sight.

Lina watched the exchange with shock. "It can't be," she whispered under her breath, before taking off at a run towards the princess and shouting. "Amelia!"

The princess turned towards Lina and Gourry. The moment she saw the red-headed sorceress, Amelia burst into sobs and collapsed to her knees.

Lina caught up to her, kneeling down to gather her friend up in a hug. Amelia immediately latched onto Lina as though her life depended on it, weeping into the sorcerer's chest.

Lina held on, furrowing her brow as she looked into the forest where Zelgadis disappeared. She looked up at Gourry, who stood next to the two girls, also gazing into the forest.

' _I can't believe it_ ,' Lina thought to herself. ' _They broke up?_ '

Lina stared down again, tightening her hug on the sobbing princess. Whatever had happened she had no doubt who was really responsible.

"Damnit, Xellos," she whispered. "What did you do this time?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 11: No More Secrets  
> I think I'll go find a bunker somewhere to hide from all the Z/A fans for awhile.


	11. No More Secrets

It was two days now since Zelgadis left, and everyone would have liked to say things had gone back to normal. But that was far from the truth.

Gourry had done some minor repairs to the door the chimera broke, mostly with patches of wood. It didn't look pretty, but it was functional again. The warrior was the only one sleeping in that room now, anyway.

Amelia sat at the table with her chair facing the front door, the Holy spell manuscript in front of her. When she wasn't eating or sleeping, you could count on her to be at the table or in her room with the manuscript, trying to memorize the _Cleansing_ spell. She had become exceptionally focused on it.

The door to the cabin opened and Lina walked in, a large sack slung over her shoulder. "Whew, Xellos was right. Burto has a surprisingly well stocked magic shop."

She threw the sack onto the table, making the furniture shake a little. She looked expectantly at Amelia, but she hadn't flinched from the movement. Lina glared in annoyance. The princess had been like this for the last two days, and it was really getting on the her nerves.

"Of course, they didn't have a Ceiphied Candle," Lina said. "It looks like someone is going to have to head into Zefielia to get one."

Lina looked around the cabin for "someone" else to volunteer, before looking up. Llygad was laying on her stomach in one of the rafters above them, her knees bent and swinging back and forth like some bored teenager. She had been spending the day smiling down at Amelia, most likely enjoying her depression.

The sorceress grinned. "Hey, Llygad? Make yourself useful and go get us a Ceiphied Candle."

The Mazoku turned her attention to Lina, looking at the human with curiosity. "What?"

"You told us your contract is not settled until Xellos is cured. Well, we need that candle to cure him, so you'd better help out."

Llygad narrowed her eyes at the sorceress. "How dare you! I don't take orders from a human…"

Lina interrupted, "Now, now, be a good little Mazoku and go ask Xellos for some money. I'm sure he's outside somewhere. We can't complete this ceremony without that candle."

The Mazoku woman jumped down from the rafters, landing next to Lina. They stared at each other, eye to eye, but Lina was far from intimidated. She only snickered at the Mazoku.

"Well? What are you waiting for? We humans aren't getting any younger, ya'know."

Llygad narrowed her eyes, but walked out of the cabin and away from Lina.

"Geez, what a pain in the ass she is," Lina sighed. "You can never get her to do anything unless you point out how it benefits her first." Oblivious to any irony, she turned her attention back to Amelia, who was practicing some magical gestures.

"So, speaking of money," Lina slid a piece of paper across the table to the princess. "Here's the bill, Amelia, for all the reagents I bought. A copy has already been sent to Seyruun."

Amelia glanced down at the paper, picking it up to look more closely at the amount.

"I know it looks like a lot," Lina said, hoping to cut off an inevitable freak-out from the princess. "But this Holy spell of yours takes some serious magical reagents."

The panic didn't come. Amelia took the paper and put it in her pocket. "Don't worry, Lina-san, my father will take care of it. I've already sent him a letter explaining everything." Her words were dry and devoid of emotion, and she immediately went back to studying the manuscript.

Lina frowned as she looked at Amelia. She had been like this since Zelgadis left, and it was getting on her nerves.

The red-headed sorceress slammed the table hard with both hands, which finally got Amelia's attention.

"Damnit, Amelia, you are usually the cheerful one. You need to snap out of this!"

The princess glared at Lina, "Let me get rid of these marks, Lina-san, and then I can be as cheerful as you want. But until then, get off my back!"

"No way," Lina crossed her arms stubbornly. "All your sour mood is doing is making Llygad the happiest Mazoku around. I swear she's getting fat off of you. I'm sorry you lost Zelgadis, but you don't have to bring the rest of us down, too."

"I'm not trying to bring any of you down!" Amelia stood up, both hands on the table as she glowered at Lina. "I'm just trying to learn a how to cast this Holy spell, and it is a lot harder than it looks!"

"Nice try, Amelia, but you and I both know this is about Zelgadis and not the damn cleansing spell. Can't you just try to get over him already, for all our sakes?"

Amelia's shoulders shook with rage as she faced the sorceress head on. "Lina-san, just what do you think I've been trying to do for the past two da…"

She stopped suddenly, looking past Lina at the window behind her. Amelia's shoulders slumped before she gathered up the manuscript and retreated to their room.

"Huh? Wait, Amelia, where are you goin'? Oh." Realization dawned on her as she watched Amelia flee.

"Oh, right. This again. One…two…three…Hiya, Xellos. Welcome back."

She wasn't even looking behind her, but on "three," the front door opened and Xellos stepped inside. He glanced over at the sorceress and smiled. "Hello, Lina-san. Everything going well?"

"Oh yeah," Lina turned to look at the Mazoku, one hand resting on the table as she grinned at him. "I just got back from the magic shop, Gourry's outside somewhere, Llygad has agreed to go to Zefielia for the Ceiphied Candle, and Amelia is avoiding you. Everything is pretty much as it has been for the past couple days."

Xellos briefly glanced at Amelia's door, but only briefly. He walked over to the bag Lina placed on the table, taking note of the items she purchased.

"Well done, Lina-san. These will do nicely." He closed the bag, looking back at the sorceress. "And with Amelia-san's newfound focus, we should have this spell finished in no time."

"Yeah, speaking of Amelia," Lina glared at Xellos, "are you ever going to tell us just exactly what you did to her and Zelgadis?"

Xellos grinned at her, "Now, Lina-san, if Amelia-san doesn't want to tell you, why should I?"

"Because we might be able to help her." Lina folded her arms. Xellos was a little taller, but the glare she gave him made it clear she wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"I think what I did has had a positive effect on Amelia. She's just as determined to cast this spell as I am. Why would I want to jeopardize that?"

"Geez, Xellos, don't you feel the least bit guilty about what you've done?" Lina clenched her fists at her sides. "What good is having a conscience if you can still go around ripping people apart while smiling about it?"

A flash of irritation crossed the Mazoku's face, as it always did when his condition was brought up, but it vanished in an instant. He smiled at her cheerfully, "You mustn't upset yourself over me. Once Amelia-san casts the Cleansing Spell, everything will be back to the way it was before."

"Not everything…" Lina shot back. She continued to study Xellos, watching him so intently it made her eyes hurt. But there was nothing there. Just the closed-eyed smile he was so well known for. If anything, he looked smug, which only infuriated the sorceress.

The Mazoku turned on his heels to walk out of the cabin, "Thank you again, Lina-san. At this rate I'll free of these marks in no time." Then he was gone.

Lina snarled as she spoke to no one in particular. "You know, I think I liked him better _before_ he gained a conscience."

* * *

Xellos stepped out of the cabin, and walked across the porch to the side of the house. There were no windows on this side, and no one could see him without coming to where he was.

And it was here that Xellos could let his mask fall. He slumped down against the wall of the cabin, letting his back rest against it, and put his head in his hands. He grimaced, clenching his teeth behind pursed lips.

The pain was excruciating, and it was giving no signs of letting up. This agony wasn't caused by the wound Amelia had given him back in the forest. That had healed up within hours. But that pain paled in comparison to _this_.

He had underestimated the strength and cunning of this new, unwanted emotion, and the amount of control it _really_ had over him. It was the loss of control that frustrated him more than anything. He was a master of manipulating humans and situations to suit his purposes, or even just for amusement. And so he had smugly assumed he had control over his new conscience as well. It was that careless belief had been his undoing.

But, regardless of what he had expected or wanted, he was still responsible for everything that had happened. He couldn't even blame the little stubborn ghost, as much as he wanted to. He had promised Amelia he wouldn't hurt her. But without meaning to, he had; he'd hurt her a great deal.

And fixing it had proven more challenging than he expected. He'd made several attempts to get close to Amelia, to apologize, including the one he tried just now. But each time, she would walk, and sometimes run, away from him without a word. He knew millions of techniques for gaining someone's trust, but he also knew when someone was completely closed off to them.

So here he was, painfully wanting to get rid of this horrible guilt, but finding his options lacking. He lifted his knees up, wrapping his arms around them as he contemplated the situation. At their current rate, Amelia and Lina should have the _Cleansing_ spell ready to go in another week and a half, one they were lucky. That was barely a drop in a lake compared to his Mazoku life span. All he had to do was wait it out, and he'd be free of this terrible sensation forever.

He could wait that long. Couldn't he?

A noise from the other side of the cabin caught his attention, and he lifted his head up to listen. Someone was coming around the corner, humming a merry tune.

The mask instantly came back on and Xellos stretched his legs out, one foot on top of the other, and put his hands behind his head to relax against the cabin. By the time Gourry came around the corner and saw him, you'd never have known the Mazoku had been crestfallen.

"Heya, Xellos," Gourry gave him a friendly greeting. He was carrying a large black tray. "I didn't expect you to be over here."

"Hello, Gourry-san," Xellos replied with a smile.

Gourry placed the tray on the ledge, and pulled out what looked like a string with slivers on it. He tied one end of the string to a column of the porch, then strung it over and fastened it to another column, letting the string hang in the afternoon sun.

Xellos watched, frowning when he realized what it was. The Yangin Mushrooms he'd had Amelia pick a couple of days ago had been sliced up, and placed on that string for drying. Gourry was just moving it from one side of the cabin to the other to help it dry faster.

He hadn't lied to Amelia about the mushrooms. Once they were dried, they would be ground into powder and added to a reagent mixture necessary for the _Cleansing_ spell. Still, a small part of him wondered if he would have been better off having them buy the mushrooms. They really weren't that expensive here, considering they grew in the area. And it would have saved him a lot of trouble…

Gourry placed the now empty tray on the ground, then turned back to Xellos, a friendly smile still lighting up his face. "Should be just one more day and the mushrooms will be ready."

Xellos nodded at the warrior.

Gourry walked over next to Xellos, sitting himself down, though keeping a comfortable distance away. He leaned back against the cabin, putting his hands behind his head in the exact same pose. Xellos didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the warrior.

"Hey, this is a good spot." Gourry said, stretching his arms a bit and yawning. With the sun on this side of the cabin, but the porch offering some shade, it was comfortably warm. "I bet I could take a nice nap here."

The Mazoku chuckled. "You'll find I'm very good at finding all the best spots to laze about."

A long silence stretched between them as they both basked in the partial shade of the afternoon. Xellos was starting to suspect Gourry of falling asleep, until the warrior spoke up.

"You know you'll never get near her."

Xellos frowned and turned his head to the warrior curiously. "Pardon?"

"I spoke to Amelia this morning," Gourry continued. "I don't know what you did to her in that forest, Xellos, but she's really _mad_. Even if you did apologize, she isn't going to accept it."

Xellos put his hands down to his sides, staring at the warrior in disbelief. "What makes you think I'm trying to apologize to her, Gourry-san?"

Gourry turned to the Mazoku and gave him knowing smile, "It was obvious from the way you've been acting these past couple of days. I'm starting to think having a guilty conscience hurts Mazoku even more than us humans, huh?"

Xellos stared at him for a few moments more, puzzled. Gourry could tell?

' _Well, of course he can tell._ ' Xellos sighed in defeat and leaned back against the cabin. "I'm just not used to it. This is a rare first for me."

"Yeah, I bet," Gourry said with a brief laugh. "Lina tried to explain to me why Mazoku don't feel guilt, but I'm afraid I can't remember what she said."

Xellos grinned. _'No, and I'm sure you wouldn't be able to understand, either.'_

"She did say one thing that I remember," Gourry continued, and his expression turned grim. "She told me that being able to feel guilt has the potential to kill you, Xellos. Is that true?"

The Mazoku frowned. He was certain there were no texts or books describing what a conscience would do to a Mazoku, so the fact that Lina figured that much out on her own showed just how clever she was. But it was an aspect of this curse he didn't like to think about.

Learning to control his guilt wasn't just a matter of pride, but survival. Mazoku were spirit beings, like ghosts and other astral life forms. Their sense of self, their self-worth, was their entire being. Anything that threatened that was devastating to a Mazoku.

He had assumed that every time he controlled his guilt, he had crushed it completely, but this latest development made it clear that was not the case. Every time he experienced remorse, even when he recovered, a small piece was always left behind; a constant reminder of what he'd done. A small amount was nothing, but every little bit continued to build up inside of him, like a growing cancer.

It would likely take one hundred years or more, longer than Amelia had to live. But if, by chance, he couldn't remove these marks…

"Yes, Gourry-san, it is true," Xellos answered gravely. "It can destroy me."

"Then you need to make things right!" Gourry said, nodding sagely, which was a comical look for him.

Xellos' smile grew larger, but he suppressed a laugh. "And if I can't even get near Amelia, how do you propose I do that?"

"You need to go find Zel and convince him to come back." The warrior said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Xellos turned his head towards the human, raising an eyebrow. "Gourry-san, I'm sure you are aware of how much Zelgadis-san hated me before. I don't think you can even imagine how much he hates me _now_."

"Doesn't really matter how much he hates you, Xellos," Gourry sat up straight. "I saw the way he looked at Amelia before leaving. He wants her back, and if you can help him do that, he'll even listen to you."

"You sure about that, Gourry-san?" Xellos asked, the tone in his voice making it clear he didn't believe it.

"Of course I am. I know what it's like to love someone, and I know the lengths I'd go to get them back."

' _We all know,'_ Xellos thought with a grin, as he remembered Gourry chasing after Lina when she was possessed by the Lord of Nightmares. But he let the warrior continue.

"Zelgadis is no exception." He grinned that dumb but friendly grin he was so well known for. "You are a smart guy, Xellos. I'm sure you could figure out what to say to make him come back to Amelia."

Gourry leaned back against the cabin again to relax. Xellos turned his gaze away from the warrior, thinking to himself. Perhaps the idiot was right. If he was careful in his approach, maybe he could appeal to Zelgadis instead of Amelia.

The Mazoku picked up his staff, using it to help him stand up. He turned his gaze north, where he knew Zelgadis had headed, as he considered his possibilities. Xellos was very skilled with words, and if he could get Zelgadis to talk to him, even the mistrusting chimera could be persuaded into returning.

The hard part would be convincing him to talk at all.

On a whim, he turned back to Gourry, ready to thank the warrior for his…interesting insight. But, despite only a few moments passing, he saw that Gourry's head was bowed and he was snoring softly.

It was just as well. With a friendly smile, Xellos vanished from sight.

* * *

The bar was set up on the outskirts of town, and was designed for what the citizens of Zefielia referred to as the "less fortunate" members of their fair city. If this were any other place, this would likely be the hangout of bandits, thieves and shady characters. People of such repute never seemed to last long in a city full of legendary heroes, however, so it was simply where servants, waitresses, and blue-collar workers came to get a drink.

This particular establishment had an oval-shaped bar on the opposite wall from the entrance, with a pinewood countertop and matching barstools. There were dark wood tables all around with matching chairs. The place wasn't very busy at this time of day, but there was a handful of people scattered among tables.

Zelgadis pulled his mask down, taking a sip from his mug before putting the mask back in place and setting the cup down. He was the only one sitting at the bar, which suited him just fine. He liked to be alone with his thoughts.

"You sure you don't want something stronger, sir?" The barkeep, a rather short but thin man, asked him yet again.

"No, thank you, this will do." Zelgadis answered from behind his mask. He didn't come here to get drunk, even though part of him would have loved to. Maybe then he could numb away the regret.

Part of him wondered if he had been too hard on Amelia. He had been in the throws of rage and betrayal and was, at first, desperate to destroy the source, even knowing it was impossible. And then he just wanted to escape.

As hard as he tried, though, he could not get that damn kiss out of his head. The Amelia he thought he knew would never have betrayed him like that, and especially not with a Mazoku. But, then again, this hadn't been the first time he'd been betrayed by someone he thought he knew and loved…

Zelgadis didn't realize how hard he'd been clenching his fist until his mug suddenly shattered in his hand, waking him from his thoughts. The remainder of his beverage spilled onto the counter along with shards of porcelain.

"Sorry," Zelgadis said as he picked up his napkin to wipe his hands. "I'll pay for that."

"Don't worry about it, Sir," the barkeep said as he calmly cleaned up the mess with a bar rag. "Happens all the time. Are your hands okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine," he said as he glanced down at his blue-stone fingers. A clay mug couldn't even dent the flesh, but he found himself staring nonetheless. He had just been telling Lina a week earlier that he wanted to take a break from finding a cure. He was, dare he say, feeling comfortable with his chimera body. He had his time in Nullin and Amelia to thank for that.

Now he had Amelia to thank for his new found desire to find a cure again. He would be human again, he swore it. Or he would die trying. Looking for his cure was the only excuse he needed to get away from Xellos and away from _her_.

He was avoiding Amelia easily enough. The other, not so much. Earlier in the day he had entered a local shop to replenish his supplies, but just as he was about to make his purchase, he saw a figure with a familiar red-gemmed staff and purple hair enter the store.

Xellos never approached or even looked at him, but instead began scrutinize the various shelves. Zelgadis snarled angrily, but tried to ignore him. Instead, he made his purchase as quickly as possible and left with great haste.

He later went to an inn to secure a room for the night. He had just finished talking to the proprietor, when a familiar voice caught his ear. He closed his eyes in disbelief, turning towards the sound before opening them again. Sure enough, there was Xellos, speaking to another patron.

' _Are you kidding me?'_ Zelgadis could only stare in shock. He changed his mind about staying at that inn, and left with an apology.

And now he was here at this bar. And, sure, enough, it wasn't long before Xellos wandered in, taking a seat at the table closest to the door, his back to the chimera. Zelgadis rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hand. _'I don't believe it.'_

The Mazoku sat quietly, alone, sipping from a glass of water in front of him. The chimera's first instinct was to simply leave again, perhaps to find another inn. But it was becoming clear that Xellos wasn't about to leave him alone.

Since he couldn't really attack Xellos in the middle of a city, there was only one thing to do.

Zelgadis stood up, placing a few coins on the bar before stomping over to Xellos' table. He slammed both hands down in front of the Mazoku, making it shake slightly.

"Why the hell are you following me?" With his hood up and his mask covering his nose and mouth, you could only see Zelgadis' eyes. Those eyes, however, were filled with barely contained rage.

Xellos looked up and grinned at Zelgadis, who simply seethed in response. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you, Zelgadis-san."

"You are the last person I want to talk to." He narrowed his eyes further. "I only came over here to tell you to stop following me. If we weren't surrounded by innocent people I would have Rah Tilted your ass already."

Xellos shrugged, "And that's why I chose to follow you _here_."

Zelgadis clenched his fists, but was careful to keep his temper in check. The last thing he needed was to make a scene or attract the local authorities.

"I'm telling you," Zelgadis spoke through clenched teeth, "to leave me _alone_. You thwart my attempts to find a cure every chance you get, you destroy the one I did find, and now you've taken Amelia away from me. I seriously doubt you could screw up my life any more than you already have!"

Xellos raised an eye-brow. "Now, to be fair, Zelgadis-san, it was you who screwed yourself out of your cure in Nullin. It certainly wasn't my idea to have you add your power to its shield…"

Zelgadis slammed his fist on the table, causing a small crack to form. Xellos didn't react, but the action did get the attention of the bartender.

"Is everything okay here, gentlemen?" He said as he approached the table gingerly. His eyes went wide as he noticed the crack, but he decided with a nervous gulp not to say anything about it.

Zelgadis took a long, drawn-out breath before glaring at the bartender. "Everything is fine. We're just discussing a…private matter."

Xellos just grinned gleefully at the bartender, who was more than happy to walk away.

Zelgadis turned his furious gaze back to the Mazoku. "You're trying to make me create a scene, aren't you?"

"Absolutely not," the Mazoku responded in a _'Would I do that?_ ' voice. Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "I came here because I hoped we could sit down and have a nice, polite exchange of words."

"So if I sit down and listen to you, and I'm not saying I will," Zelgadis snarled. "Will you stop stalking me?"

"Well that depends entirely on your response to what I have to say."

"Then just say it." Zelgadis folded his arms in front of him, his eyes boring into the Mazoku like a flaming knife. "What do you want, Xellos?"

"I want to apologize."

The Mazoku took another sip of his drink, as the stunned chimera just stared. "What?"

"What you saw occur between Amelia-san and I was not what you thought." His tone was matter of fact and honest.

Zelgadis relaxed slightly, taken aback. It was all a bit too fishy, but he couldn't help but smirk, causing his mask to fold and twist to accommodate. "You cast a spell on her, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Xellos made a gesture for Zelgadis to sit down across from him.

Zelgadis just stood there confused, initially ignoring the gesture. "A spell to have her _kiss_ you?"

Xellos smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "No, that wasn't really the nature of the _spell_. That was more of an unexpected side effect."

"A 'side-effect?'" Zelgadis growled. "What you did to Amelia is far beyond a 'side-effect.'"

Xellos bowed his head slightly, placing his water back on the table. "The kiss was never my intention, Zelgadis-san. I respectfully ask that you allow me to explain the situation so we can spare Amelia-san additional pain."

"I seriously doubt you are doing this for anyone but yourself. Give me one good reason why I should believe you?"

Xellos sighed in defeat and annoyance, then lifted up his right hand and wiggled his fingers. He didn't have to remove his glove for the chimera to know what the gesture meant.

Zelgadis stared for a moment, but as realization dawned on him, he couldn't help but grin, trying to contain a laugh, and not being all that successful. It all made sense now. He pulled out the chair across from the Mazoku and sat down.

"Alright, fine! You have my attention, Xellos." He leaned on the table, watching as the Mazoku took a calm sip of water. "But if you expect me to buy this, I want the full story on what _really_ happened. No more secrets!"

* * *

It had been a week now since Xellos had finished the translation of the _Cleansing_ spell, and Lina and Amelia were making great progress. Amelia had memorized the incantation and the ingredients were ready. The only thing they needed was for Llygad to come back with the Ceiphied Candle and they'd be ready to begin.

Amelia went to her room to rest and wait it out. Lina and Gourry headed out into the forest for some alone time. They now sat leaning against a tree, Lina's head resting in the crook of Gourry's arm as though he were a comfortable piece of furniture. It was rare to see the fiery red head looking content, but Lina appeared to be almost asleep.

Gourry sat smiling, watching the birds and the squirrels, and wondering when he should tell Lina that his arm had fallen numb.

"Hey, Gourry," Lina's voice was surprisingly soft as she spoke, and the warrior turned to look at her.

"Yeah, Lina?"

Lina took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale before speaking. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I never realized it bothered you so much."

"Huh?" Gourry just looked down at her perplexed. "What bothers me?"

"You know, how I tell people like Amelia that we're not together when we are."

"Oh, that," Gourry looked ahead again, furrowing his brow. "It's okay, Lina."

"No, it's not!" She sat up, looking straight up at the warrior who looked back down at her. Her expression turned serious and sad. "I'm not ashamed of you in the slightest, Gourry. I should be willing to put my own stupid pride aside every once in awhile for your sake."

The warrior smiled at her, but then let the smile drop for his next words. "I don't think it matters now, Lina. With Amelia being the way she is, it's not a good idea to reveal the truth to her."

"Oh, I know, I know," Lina snuggled back into the crook in Gourry's arm. "But when she finally gets back to her old self, I'm going to tell her. I promise."

Gourry looked down at Lina and smiled. "Thank you, Lina."

"Hah, somehow I knew you guys were a couple."

Lina may have been relaxed before, but the new voice made her eyes shoot open and she sprang into action faster than a furious fish man. Lina suddenly shoved Gourry away so hard, he hit the ground with a loud smack. She ignored the cry of pain from the warrior, as she leaped to her feet to address the newcomer.

"No way! It's not like that. We were just…." she stopped, blinking twice as though to make sure she was seeing who she thought she was seeing. "Zelgadis?"

The chimera smiled back. "Hi, sorry if I surprised you. You okay, Gourry?"

The blonde warrior picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his head where a new bruise would soon be forming. Despite this, he gave the chimera a thumbs up with his other hand. "Welcome back, Zel."

"Zelgadis!" Lina's eyes lit up as she stared at the chimera, and Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "Thank goodness you are back! Amelia has been absolutely unbearable this last week."

Zelgadis frowned and looked away from Lina. "Yeah, I'm afraid that's partly my fault. That's why I came back."

Lina clapped her hands together with excitement. "And _that_ is exactly what I wanted to hear!"

The red-headed sorceress ran behind Zelgadis and began pushing him towards the cabin. "Come on. No stalling. Amelia is in her room so you better hurry."

"What? Wait a minute, Lina," Zelgadis had the strength to resist her pushing, but the last thing he wanted was to make her mad. "Stop pushing. I didn't say I was ready!"

"You've had over a week to get ready, Zel. It's now or never!"

* * *

Amelia sat in the room she shared with Lina, staring out the one window looking off to the side. She had taken one of the chairs from the main area and placed it here so she could sit while she rested her arms and head on the windowsill.

She hadn't seen Zelgadis in over a week, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She had run through their last encounter in her head over and over again, but still it came back as a blur. And what happened before that was an even greater mystery.

As hard as she tried, all she could remember was speaking with Xellos about Ginnalko, and then the next thing she knew she had her arms around his neck and was kissing him. She shuddered at the thought, burying her face in her arms. _'But I would never kiss a Mazoku!_ ' her head screamed. _'Would I?'_

If only she could remember, then maybe she would have given Zelgadis a better explanation. Or, at least, she hoped she could. She remembered how Xellos had made her feel in Nullin, with his constant and subtle flirting. It turned out to be a ruse to get her to perform the ceremony, but still. Could she be harboring a strange fondness for…?

She shook her head as though to shake the memory from her mind. _'No! No! NO! That's impossible.'_ Xellos was evil and cunning and he terrified her. And now, that terror extended to an even more personal level.

She loved Zelgadis, there was no doubt in her mind. Even if she couldn't have him anymore, she knew deep down she would always love him.

Amelia could hear the door open behind her, but she didn't look up to see who it was. This was Lina's room too, after all. _'Probably came to give me another stern lecture about cheering up,_ ' Amelia thought with annoyance.

It was only when the door slammed shut with a loud ' _BANG'_ that Amelia startled enough to look. What she saw made her eyes go wide with surprise.

Zelgadis was staring at the door, looking just as startled as Amelia. He sighed as he turned away. "Damn you, Lina."

"Zelgadis-san?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Zelgadis turned towards her. She was staring in total disbelief that he was standing there in front of her. Not that he could blame her.

They stood there, shuffling their feet for several minutes, but neither of them spoke. It seemed like an eternity before Amelia asked, "Zelgadis-san, what…what are you doing here?"

Zelgadis stared at her for a moment, before turning his eyes away. ' _What do I say at a time like this?'_ He took a deep breath, trying to think of some way to answer.

He smirked awkwardly. "Well, Lina kinda shoved me in here, so I didn't have much choice really."

He wished he'd taken it back as soon as he said it, after seeing the look of disappointment flash in Amelia's eyes. The princess looked down shamefully, "Oh, I see."

' _Damn it_.' Zelgadis cringed. _'Sure, just make her think you were_ forced _here. Brilliant!'_

"No, Amelia, I didn't mean…" He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to give himself time to think. "I came back because of Xellos."

That got her attention and she looked up at him, confused. "Xellos-san?"

"He told me the truth, Amelia." He regained some confidence as he stared back at her. "He told me he forced a ghost to possess your body."

"Huh?" Amelia's eyes went wide. "A ghost?" She looked down, her mind remembering their conversation in the forest. "Ginnalko-san! He had Ginnalko-san possess…?"

"Her name is Dova."

Amelia looked up at him in surprise. "What? It wasn't the girl from my dream?"

"Her full name is Dova Ginnalko, and, yes, she is girl from your dream," Zelgadis smiled gently at the princess. Xellos had been surprisingly forthcoming when they spoke in Zephilia. The Mazoku also made it clear that Amelia didn't know all the facts, either. "She was also the white mage from the Fifth Couple. He forced her to possess your body so he could speak to her."

Amelia stared at the chimera, gape-mouthed. "He…forced…my body…." Then what he said sunk in, and her body began to shake with rage She hugged herself, tears forming in her eyes. "That _jerk_! I can't believe he did that!" She cried out between gritted teeth. "How could he do that to me! How dare he…"

"Amelia…"

Zelgadis stepped towards her, slowly but with purpose, until he was standing directly in front of her. Amelia stopped shaking and looked at him, his presence releasing her anger as quickly as it had built up.

"I'm sorry, Amelia." Zelgadis lowered his head, pursing his lips as he tried to think of what to say next. "You never did anything to make me doubt you, and I…I mean…Amelia, would you…with me…?"

Amelia's eyes began to water as Zelgadis stammered. She cut his awkward speech short by throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him so forcefully the chimera gasped. "I'm sorry, too!" she choked between sobs. "I should have listened to you!"

Zelgadis wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him and burying his face in her soft black hair. A week away from her had felt like an eternity, and he had missed her every day no matter how angry he had been.

"Don't ever leave me like that again, Zelgadis-san!" Amelia sobbed. "Please promise me you won't."

Zelgadis couldn't help but smile. "I promise."

Amelia pulled away from him, but only enough so she could pull him into a deep and loving kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, bringing his hands up to hold her cheeks.

The princess and the chimera were so caught up in each other that neither of them noticed the figure outside their window watching their tender encounter. But, as far as Xellos was concerned, he had just as much invested in their reunion as they did.

The Mazoku smiled to himself, bowing his head before vanishing into the Astral Plane. His efforts had paid off, and his pain was finally gone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 12: Holy Cleansing  
> Finally, Xellos will be free of the mark. Or will he…?


	12. Holy Cleansing

Everything was almost finished, and the humans were busy prepping the Cleansing Spell. Xellos had offered to help as well, but Amelia was adamant he not interfere with the Holy ritual. Part of the Mazoku was annoyed, as he couldn't figure out why shrine maidens were such sticklers for purity. But he also welcomed the freedom to be just plain lazy.

So he simply sat inside the cabin in a chair, his legs propped up on a second chair, sipping his favorite tea. Every once in a while he gazed out the window to watch the others busy with their work. Zelgadis was busy by the magic circle, Lina and Amelia were chatting on the porch, and Gourry, also on the porch, was crushing the various dried herbs needed for the ceremony.

Of course, they were still missing the most important ingredient, and a familiar presence approaching from the Astral Plane suggested it was almost here.

Xellos smiled. "It's about time," he said out loud as Llygad materialized in front of him. "We were starting to think you wouldn't make it."

She rolled her eyes, sitting down in the remaining chair closest to the door. "I had to travel all the way to Atlas City to find one of these damn candles, and it was ridiculously expensive. I had to front some of my own money as well as yours to get it." She pulled out a sack. "And that was after using every trick I had in the book to get the guy to bring the price down, short of whoring myself out to him."

Xellos raised an eyebrow, "You didn't torture and kill the shopkeeper, did you?"

"No, but I intend to go back when this is over." She reached into the sack, pulling out a large candle. The Ceiphied Candle was a foot long, ivory-white in color, and the thickness of Gourry's forearm. It had intricate holy symbols carved into the wax, a material that supposedly never melted and always retained its shape.

Xellos reached out and took the candle from Llygad, leaning back in his chair again as he turned it over in his hand. He smiled. "Well, done, Llygad-san. This candle is the most vital part of the ceremony, and I would have hated to delay it longer."

"I know how important it is, Xellos. I've seen the ceremony before."

Xellos placed the candle back on the table. "You've been quite helpful, Llygad-san. I will be sure to let Beastmaster-sama know of your cooperation."

The rogue Mazoku stretched her arms out, placing them behind her head as she leaned back in her own chair. "That's the only reason I'm doing this. Will be nice to no longer have to look over my shoulder or live among humans anymore."

"I'm not so sure your new life will be all that relaxing, Llygad-san," He opened his eyes slightly, giving her a smug smile. "It hasn't been decided yet whether you will work directly under my Lord or your old Lord, Dynast-sama."

That got her attention and she stared at Xellos in shock, "I thought I'd be working for Beastmaster-sama."

"As I said, it has not been decided."

Llygad narrowed her eyes at Xellos. She liked the idea of working under Beastmaster-sama, as she had done nothing to her. But it was Dynast she had defied 300 years ago, and she somehow doubted he would have forgotten. Nor would he be the least bit impressed that she earned her way back by helping Xellos.

"Oh, do not worry, Llygad-san," Xellos said, waving his hand dismissively. "Beastmaster-sama outranks Dynast-sama, so he will have to take you back whether he wants to or not."

"You know that is not what worries me, Xellos." She pursed her lips as she glared at the other Mazoku. "But I do have a choice, still. If I want to serve under Beastmaster-sama rather than Dyn…"

"I'm saying my master doesn't necessarily want you, Llygad-san," Xellos interrupted her.

The Mazoku woman stared back at him, stunned. "What do you mean? I'm doing all this under _her_ orders."

"The only promise she made was that you would be able to return to the Mazoku again. She never said it would be as _her_ subordinate."

"Then what about Dolphin-sama?" Llygad said, failing to hide the desperation in her tone. "If not Beastmaster-sama, then I'd be happy to serve…"

"Llygad-san," Xellos raised a finger in the air to get her attention. "You are forgetting that you are a _rogue_ Mazoku. You have already proven that you are ready and able to defy the orders of your master. It's not a very appealing trait in a subordinate. Deep-Sea Dolphin-sama doesn't want you. Beastmaster-sama isn't so sure she wants you. You're only option may be Dynast-sama and if that is so, then you will obey him, without question. Whether you want to or not."

Llygad sat back in her chair in defeat, looking down at the table as she weighed her options. "I suppose I don't have much choice then." She placed an elbow on the table, leaning her head in her hand. "I guess even working under Dynast again is preferable to staying like this."

"Dynast- _sama_ ," Xellos corrected her, raising a stern eyebrow.

"Right, Dynast-sama." She dismissed his words with a wave of her hand before vanishing from the cabin.

* * *

"Why didn't you just tell me, Lina-san!" Amelia was staring at her friend, hurt and disbelieving.

Lina, Gourry and Amelia were sitting on the porch watching Zelgadis as he worked in the field north of the cabin. The chimera had the Holy Book in one hand, opened to the page with the diagram, and was holding a stick with the other so he could draw the circle needed for the _Cleansing_ ceremony.

"Oh you can't blame me, Amelia," Lina smiled sheepishly, rubbing a finger on her cheek. "You tend to get all starry-eyed and sappy when I bring up Gourry and me."

Amelia glared at her, "I'm getting really tired of everyone feeling like they have to lie to me! Just what do you all take me for?"

"I wasn't really, lying, per se, it was just…"

"It was a _lie_ , Lina-san!"

"Hey, you two," Zelgadis interrupted, glaring at the women. "Are you going to come help me with this or are you going to keep arguing all day?"

"You looked like you were doing just fine on your own, Zel," Lina yelled back. She was grateful for the distraction from an aggravated Amelia.

"The circle is done, but you guys can still help me with the symbols." He pointed to the completed circle. It was about the same size as the cabin they were staying in, with cross sections were the symbols were to be placed.

"Don't you boss me around, Zel. Don't forget who was slaving over this _Cleansing_ spell while you were off on some love-sick adventure for a week and a half!"

Zelgadis growled at Lina, but kept working.

Amelia smiled at Zelgadis and started walking back to the cabin. "I'll go grab the manuscript and help him."

"I'm all for letting him do it himself," Lina answered stubbornly, but Amelia was already inside.

She closed the cabin door behind her and walked over to the table were the translated manuscript sat. She didn't have to look up to know that Xellos was occupying this room as well.

"Good Morning, Amelia-san," Xellos said cheerfully between sips of his tea, his feet still propped up on another chair.

Amelia contemplated ignoring him and just rushing out the door with the manuscript, but she hesitated. She'd been doing that for over a week because of what he'd done, but now…

"Good Morning, Xellos-san," she barely whispered it back to him, and he cracked an eye open to look at her.

"Oh? You're not avoiding me anymore?"

She sat down in the leftover chair, looking down at her hands as she set them on the table. "You did a horrible, terrible, despicable deed, Xellos-san, and normally I would never, _ever_ forgive you for it."

She looked up at him, and was satisfied to find his brow was furrowed and he shifted uncomfortably.

"But…" She continued. "You made it right. You told Zelgadis the truth, so I forgive you, Xellos-san. In fact, I should probably thank you."

Xellos chuckled, "Amelia-san, if it weren't for these marks, I wouldn't have lifted a finger to help you or Zelgadis-san. I don't think you need to thank me for anything."

Amelia couldn't help but smile slyly at the Mazoku. "You know, I think I like you a whole lot better with a conscience."

"Well that makes one of us," Xellos responded with his customary smile.

"It's not that bad, Xellos-san," Amelia said, smiling at him reassuringly. "Humans have been dealing with guilt since we were first created, and we haven't gone on big quests to try and remove it."

Xellos stared at the princess for a few moments before putting his tea down on the table and removing his legs from the other chair. He sat up, facing the princess directly.

"Amelia-san, you are not bothered by your own conscience because you don't know what it's like to _not_ have one." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And, don't forget, humans are social creatures. It's useful for you to have a conscience. For a Mazoku like myself, it is nothing but a hindrance."

Amelia frowned and looked down at her hands. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I really wish we didn't have to get rid of it. I still think you are better off like this."

Xellos smiled again, "You are starting to sound like Dova-san. Still thinking of reforming me?"

Amelia shook her head. "No, but speaking of Dova-san, I wanted to ask you something else."

"Oh?" Xellos raised an eyebrow curiously.

"So, is Dova-san trapped inside of you then?" She remembered back to what Zelgadis had told her.

"I'm afraid so, yes." Xellos shrugged, despite his look of disappointment. "I offered her freedom, but she wouldn't take it."

"She's there _now_?"

"Yes."

"Xellos-san," Amelia looked away, clenching her firsts on the table. "Does this mean that, if things hadn't happened like they did at the Magical Fusion ceremony, I could have suffered the same fate?"

The Mazoku leaned back in his chair before answering, "Yes, Amelia-san. Your ghost would have become trapped inside of my body with her."

She glared at the Mazoku, "And you would have been okay with that?"

Xellos shrugged. "Amelia-san, I didn't even know she was there before our link gave her an outlet for communication. Besides," he waved his hand at her, smiling sweetly, "I'm sure it wouldn't have been all bad for you. You two could spend an eternity playing End Catcher or something."

'This isn't funny, Xellos-san!" Amelia slammed her fists on the table. "That's a fate worse than death, and you know it."

He opened just one eye and frowned. "You think so?"

Amelia shuddered at the thought, but tried her best to be strong. "Nevermind. Thank you, Xellos-san, I guess that's all I wanted to know." She stood up and walked out of the cabin.

Xellos watched her go, but said nothing else. He was well aware it was a fate worse than death; even a Mazoku could guess that.

But he also wondered if Amelia knew that the link she still shared with him meant she wasn't safe from such a fate. Not yet.

He felt the prickling of his conscience come alive at the thought, but he chose to ignore it. It wouldn't be long before he'd be free and such musings would no longer matter to him.

* * *

Zelgadis and Amelia carefully poured the Pya sand into the marks in the ground that made up the circle. The sand was especially designed to only be affected by gravity and touch and could not be blown away by the wind. It made it ideal for rituals that had to be performed outdoors.

Amelia was following behind him carefully sprinkling small amounts of the herb mixture onto the sand. "I think that's the last of it, Zelgadis-san," Amelia said as she handed the empty bowl to him. She looked at their handywork and smiled. Everything looked perfect.

The circle and all of its symbols were completely drawn with the sand. The center had two clear spaces, shaped like the number 8, with the Ceiphied Candle in the very center of the "8." The Holy ceremony was ready to go.

Everyone was there to watch. Zelgadis stood with Lina and Gourry between the circle and the forest. Xellos and Llygad were in front of it with the cabin to their right. Amelia stood just outside of the circle, nervously looking at it.

"Woot! Go Amelia," Lina cheered. "You can do it!"

Amelia looked back at Lina and smiled. She stepped into the circle, careful not to disturb the delicate sand. The section opposite of her was meant for whomever she would be cleansing. But since she was the target of the spell,that area would remain empty.

Once she entered the center she knelt down in front of the candle. She clasped her hands together to say a quick plea to the gods before she began. Praying wasn't necessary to perform the ceremony, but she figured every little bit helped.

"Okay, here goes," she whispered, mostly to herself. She took a quick look around the clearing. The two Mazoku standing in front of her, and her friends sitting to her side, watched intently.

Amelia stretched her arms out on either side, raising them up to shoulder level, palms down, hands relaxed. And she began to chant the spell.

" _Bakino kas'ote samade owa'tista."_

The sand around the circle began to glow dimly and the Ceiphied candle lit up on its own, giving off a soft white light. Amelia could already feel a strangely familiar warm sensation fill her body, like submerging into a luxurious hot spring. She smiled as a feeling of comfort and peace came over her, but she took a deep, lingering breath to keep herself from being lost in the sensation. She needed to concentrate.

Amelia lowered her arms, reaching down to take a small pinch of the crushed herbs into her fingers. She sprinkled it carefully onto the candle, which flared up. The candles light began to slowly change colors, and Amelia brought her hands closer to her face. She clasped them in front of her mouth, her index fingers pointing up as she chanted the next part of the spell.

" _Tadei nos'int pava'mo ki'linto_."

The mark on Amelia's finger began to glow, and she stretched her hands out in front of her, so that she was almost touching the candle's flame. The Fusion mark became separated from Amelia's finger, orbiting around her hand like a ribbon and becoming larger and larger as it separated from her.

"It's working!" Zelgadis whispered to himself, smiling. Xellos, from where he stood, also smiled.

" _Holy Cleansing!"_

It was the last piece of the spell, and the mark that was now separated from Amelia's hand sprang high into the air before taking a dive into the Ceiphied Candle's flame. The candle flared as the mark hit it, burning so brightly that Amelia and the others had to close their eyes to keep from being blinded.

When they all opened their eyes, they found the glow of the sand was gone and the candle was extinguished. Amelia quickly looked at her hand and found it completely clean.

The mark was gone.

"Yeah!" Lina cheered, jumping into the air. "I knew you could do it, Amelia! That was perfect!"

Amelia leaned back, sighing with relief. _'It's over,'_ she thought to herself. _'It's finally over.'_

Zelgadis and Gourry smiled, standing up from their sitting positions. The only ones who were not cheering were the two Mazoku.

Llygad looked over at Xellos, glaring. "Something's wrong. You still have the mark!"

Xellos narrowed his eyes. He didn't have to look to know what she said was true. He didn't feel any different.

"Wait a minute," Zelgadis cried out. "What is _that_?"

Everyone turned back to stare at the magic circle. The Ceiphied Candle, which had just extinguished itself, suddenly ignited again, only this time the glow had a round, flashing shape, instead of a long flickering one.

Amelia stood up on wobbly feet, staring at the light. She watched as the soft glow levitated up above the candle, coming to within eye level of where she stood.

"This isn't part of the spell," Lina growled. "What the hell is…"

Lina's words caught in her throat when the light suddenly shot forth like a bullet, striking Amelia in the face. The princess screamed as she fell backwards, her hands raised defensively.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis, Gourry, and Lina all screamed at once as they rushed to her. They were nowhere near as fast as Xellos, however. With a growl of frustration he teleported to Amelia's side, leaning over to grab her left hand. She had just been attempting to pick herself up, but the Mazoku's actions caused her to fall back again, her arm raised in the air where he could see it.

Xellos narrowed his eyes as he stared at Amelia's hand. The black and red mark was back again on her ring finger.

"What is going on?" Lina cried out as she looked down at Amelia's hand. "Amelia, did you mess up the spell somehow?"

"No, " Xellos answered for her, releasing Amelia's hand as he addressed Lina. "She cast it perfectly. She even removed the mark."

"Then what the hell happened?"

Amelia looked down at the mark, completely stunned. Just as Xellos said, she cast the spell perfectly. Which could only mean…

"Oh no, Dova-san," she whispered to herself. "You didn't…"

Xellos looked down at her in surprise. "Amelia-san, what did you s…"

He didn't finish his sentence. Something else instantly caught his attention and the Mazoku priest sprang in front of Amelia, bringing his staff up in front of him.

A large red beam struck the gem on Xellos' staff full on, but was deflected in all directions. Lina and the others dodged by reflex, barely avoiding the magical "shrapnel."

"Now what?" Lina growled as they all gazed in the direction of the blast.

Llygad stood there, her arm outstretched before her, a single red, glowing eye blinking in the palm of her hand. Her tone was very serious and you could smell her bloodlust from a mile away.

"My orders come from Beastmaster-sama herself, Xellos." She narrowed her eyes at the other Mazoku. "The girl must _die_. Do not interfere again!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 13: Do Not Interfere  
> Llygad shows her true colors.


	13. Do Not Interfere

Xellos put his staff down as he grinned curiously at the other Mazoku. "Llygad-san, don't you think you are acting a little too hasty?"

Llygad sneered, lifting herself partially into the air where she transformed. Her skirt and shoes elongated into a serpentine tail ending in a jagged club. Even her eyes suddenly sprouted out into eye-stalks, joining her hair which had also transformed. She now floated before them in her true Mazoku form.

"Ain't so cute now, is she," Lina grimaced, bringing her hands up into a combat ready stance.

"I don't know, Lina," Gourry said, cocking his head. "She has beautiful eyes."

"Gourry, when this is over, I am going to kill you."

Llygad raised her hands up in front of her, palms facing towards Amelia and Xellos. Within each palm, a large red eye blinked as she spoke. "The _Holy Cleansing_ spell failed, Xellos." Her voice had become distorted, as if it had a subtle and constant echo. "My orders now are to destroy the shrine maiden for you so that you may be free of your mark. If you meddle again you will be in direct violation of your master's orders. I suggest you get out of the way."

Xellos sighed with defeat and shrugged, "Very well." He vanished in an instant, reappearing on the cabin porch. "She's all yours, Llygad-san."

"What? Xellos-san!" Amelia cried out after him. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Amelia-san, but as she said, I cannot interfere."

Llygad smiled and the eyes in her hands glowed a bright red. A large beam of magical energy shot forth from the palms of her hands, straight for Amelia.

The princess' first instinct was to run or cast a quick spell to get out of the way, but she was drained from the Holy Magic and couldn't get away fast enough. Thankfully her friends were far more rested.

Gourry leaped in front of Amelia, drawing his sword in the same motion. He brought it up in front of his face horizontally and caught the red beam on the blade, which stopped the blast and dispersed it in a cascade of fireworks.

Llygad didn't stop the blast; she kept it going in a steady, red stream. Gourry was forced to place his other hand on the flat of the blade to hold it up, his feet dragging backwards on the ground as he gritted his teeth to keep from losing control.

Zelgadis rushed over to Amelia's side, kneeling down to her eye level. "Can you move, Amelia?"

"I think so," she said as she stood on wobbly feet. "I'm just drained is all."

Zelgadis wrapped her arm around his shoulder and half-carried her away from Llygad and Gourry. The couple ran to the side of the cabin, hiding behind the porch.

" _Elmekia Lance!"_ Lina formed a shifting white beam in her hand and threw it at Llygad like a javelin. The Mazoku saw it coming and stopped her own attack, shooting into the air with great speed to dodge the astral spell.

Gourry grasped onto the hilt of his sword with both hands again as Lina rushed to his side. "Oh I am so ready to kill this bitch. Let's go, Gourry."

The warrior grinned and nodded, charging forward.

* * *

Zelgadis put Amelia down on the side of the porch, and the princess laid herself back against the wall. She wanted nothing more than to simply fall asleep and get her strength back, but she couldn't.

"Are you going to be okay, Amelia?" Zelgadis asked as he knelt down next to her, while keeping his eye on the fight.

She smiled weakly and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll be fine, Zelgadis-san. I just need a little rest. That Holy spell took a lot out of me."

Another voice interrupted them, "You know you can't hide from her right?"

They both looked up at the porch. Xellos was standing over them, leaning over the banister, smiling. "You can't hide from Llygad-san. Those eyes of hers are not just for decoration. She can see through objects as easily as you can see through air. I guarantee she already knows you are here."

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes at the Mazoku. "I thought you weren't allowed to interfere."

"That doesn't mean I can't cheer for you from the sidelines." His grin grew even bigger. "I'm not all too fond of Llygad-san, so I'm very much hoping you all win."

"That's great, Xellos," Zelgadis answered sarcastically. "But that makes you just as worthless as you were before."

"Hey, I do what I can," Xellos gave the impression of mock annoyance.

Amelia intervened, "You knew about this didn't you, Xellos-san?" She clenched her fists, glaring at the Mazoku standing so relaxed above them. "You knew _she_ was the one sent to kill me."

Xellos shrugged, "And what if I did?"

"This is all your fault, Xellos-san," Amelia continued to scold him.. "You know we wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you. Take some responsibility. That's what your conscience is for!"

Xellos stared at the princess for a few moments, but then smiled mischievously. "Amelia-san," his voice took on the tone of a teacher speaking to his student. "You should know my guilt is no longer a factor. Once you are dead, my conscience will be clear. So to speak."

Amelia glared angrily at the Mazoku, but didn't say anything else.

* * *

Llygad sneered and pointed all of her eyestalks at Gourry as she watched his fast approach. Her multiple eyes began to glow red and fire several individual beams of magical energy at him.

The warrior crouched down, avoiding all of them. Not only did he dodge the beams, but by crouching down he was able to give himself the leverage to leap at the Mazoku, swinging his sword down on her.

Llygad backed away and brought her tail in front of her, parrying the sword on the end of it. Gourry snarled, but mostly did so to hide his surprise. His enchanted sword had proven itself capable of cutting through just about anything, but whatever the club on the end of her tail was made of, it was immune.

Llygad reached a hand forward, palm open in Gourry's direction. She fired a beam, but Gourry pushed himself away just in time, avoiding it once again.

" _Blast Ash!"_ Lina threw a ball of light at Llygad, but the Mazoku flew higher into the air, dodging it with amazing speed. The sorceress only grinned, and with a flick of her hand, the ball came back again to strike Llygad in the back.

A large pillar of white light, lined with streams of black, shot up from the ground where Llygad had stood. It looked like it struck true, but Lina barely had time to wonder if she had been triumphant. She glanced up just in time to see the Mazoku charging down at her with incredible speed. Lina panicked and flattened herself on the ground, face down, just in time to avoid the dive.

"Damn it, why does she also have to be so stupidly fast!" Lina screamed as she picked herself up again.

"I guess Lies-Good wouldn't be much of a challenge for you if she was slow, Lina." Gourry answered as he ran to her side, sword still at the ready.

"That was sort of a rhetorical question, Gourry."

She stood up, turning to face where the Mazoku had been. It didn't take long, however, for Lina to be reminded that _she_ was not Llygad's actual target.

* * *

"Oh look," Xellos said as he looked towards the fight. "Here she comes now. Try and stay alive now." The Mazoku vanished from sight.

Zelgadis didn't hesitate. Casting a quick _Astral Vine_ on his sword he rushed forward as Llygad came upon them.

The Mazoku slowed down as she approached, just enough to bring her tail in front of her, parrying Zelgadis' sword as he attempted to slice her in half. She brought her eyestalks forward, firing several red beams over Zelgadis' head and straight at Amelia. Zelgadis jumped back and brought his hand up for a quick _Windy Shield_ , blocking the beams from hitting Amelia.

Amelia stood up, a spell forming on her lips just as Llygad stopped her magical assault and Zelgadis brought his shield down. " _Elmekia Lance_!"

A white beam shot towards the Mazoku woman, who brought her hand up, the eye in her palm glowing red. The _Elmekia Lance_ hit the eye, dissipating harmlessly.

Zelgadis lifted up his sword again, swinging from the opposite direction. Llygad backed away, dodging and letting the chimera's blade hit nothing but air. The chimera didn't hesitate, quickly whispering the incantation for another spell. " _Bomb Di Wind!_ " A burst of air struck the Mazoku, and to her own surprise, she was forcefully knocked backwards and away from the couple.

Amelia collapsed to all fours, breathing heavily from the effort of casting a simple spell. Zelgadis turned around, glowering at the princess. "Amelia, try not to cast any spells if you can help it. You need to regain your strength."

She looked up from her crouched position at the chimera. "I just wanted to help."

"Just try to rest." He looked back towards the Mazoku. "We may need you later."

* * *

"Oh, welcome back, Llygad. Did you miss me?" Lina snickered as the Mazoku tried to regain her momentum after being blown away by the _Bomb Di Wind_.

Llygad turned to face Lina, but the sorceress already had a spell prepared.

" _Digger Bolt_!"

Lightning shot forth from Lina's fingertips, straight at the Mazoku. Llygad didn't even bother to dodge it, letting the _Digger Bolt_ hit her straight on, covering her in an electrical charge.

The Mazoku sneered. "What made you think that spell would have any effect on me?" She lifted her hand up, gathering the electrical charge into it, and shot the _Digger Bolt_ right back at Lina.

The sorceress brought her hands up to cast a shield, but Gourry jumped in front of her, slicing at the spell with his sword and causing it to disperse harmlessly around them.

"Gourry, keep her distracted for me. I have an idea." Lina leapt up and ran into the forest. She didn't need a confirmation to know he'd do as she said.

The warrior rushed forward, slashing his sword at her side. Llygad brought her tail in front and parried his sword with ease, but Gourry was ready. In the same isntant, he reversed his momentum, twisting around to strike her other side. She was equally fast, however, and brought her tail up again, blocking Gourry's assault.

Llygad brought one hand up, the eye in her palm glowing red and facing the warrior. Gourry saw it and quickly brought his sword around, slicing at her hand. The Mazoku jerked it back quickly, canceling her attack, but preventing her hand from being sliced off.

The two continued to exchange blows like this when Lina emerged from a different part of the forest, directly behind the Mazoku. The red gems on her wrists, neck, and belt where already glowing as she prepared her most powerful spell.

" _Lord of the dreams that terrify, sword of the cold and dark, free yourself from the heaven's bonds."_

She ran forward, her hands already clenched in front of her in preparation for the magical blade to form. At her current speed, she knew she would be on top of Llygad with the _Ragna Blade_ in hand before the Mazoku could even react.

" _Become one with my body, one with my power, and let us walk the path to destru…"_

Lina, however, had made one slight miscalculation. Llygad, while still fighting Gourry, allowed three of her eyestalks to whip around and face Lina. The sorceress saw the eyes suddenly staring straight at her, glowing red in preparation for an attack.

"Yipes!" Lina skidded to a halt, canceling her spell as she spun herself around to run in the other direction. Beams of red energy shot out towards her, following her on her heels as she tried desperately to run away.

She wasn't fast enough. One of the beams struck and went straight through her ankle. With a cry of pain, Lina fell to the ground with an agonizing thud. She spun herself around as quickly as possible, bringing a shield up to block the beams from striking the rest of her body.

Llygad snickered to herself, dodging another attack from Gourry. The Mazoku suddenly spun around, throwing her tail at Gourry like a whip and striking him directly to the side of his head. The warrior fell to the side completely dazed from the attack.

The Mazoku spun again and flew straight towards Lina. The sorceress looked up just in time to see Llygad staring down at her. Every eye stalk and both hands were now turned towards the sorceress and began to glow red.

"Xellos told me how powerful you are, Lina. So I think I'll take you out first."

Gourry pushed himself on his hands, his head spinning painfully, when he heard Lina scream. He looked up in time to see the Mazoku standing over what looked like a large cloud of dust, shooting into it with everything she had. Llygad was laughing, a cold, wicked cackle as she continued to assault the ground where Lina had been lying.

The warrior growled, picking up his sword and shaking his head to clear the disorientation. He charged towards her as fast as his legs could carry him, his sword raised into the air.

"LINA!" He screamed, as he brought his sword above his head, swinging it down to hit the Mazoku. Without even turning around, Llygad brought her tail up to parry the blow.

But Gourry was the quicker one this time. He swung down, but just before hitting the end of her tail, he twisted his blade, letting it strike to the side of the club-like appendage.

His sword sliced clean through the softer part of her tail, severing the tougher, pine-cone shaped mace from the rest of her. Llgyad screamed in pain and backed away from Lina and Gourry. The mace-like like lump hit the ground, rolling to a stop several feet from all of them.

He barely waited for the dust to settle before Gourry was by Lina's side, looking her over in panicked concern. He found her laying on the ground, her hand raised into the air where she created her shield. The warrior was relieved to see she was still conscious.

But she did not look good. The arm she didn't have raised in the air was punctured and bleeding and her hair was caked with blood from a gash on her cheek. Her feet, however, took the worst of the blow, as they were a barely recognizable gory mess.

"Lina?" Gourry choked as he looked at her, but Lina only gave him a strained smile.

"It's okay, Gourry," she said, with a shaky thumbs up. "I won't be running any marathons soon, but I'm still alive. I guess I was…a little too slow with my shield spell."

Gourry snarled, observing his surroundings. Llygad was to the side, glaring at the couple. Her tail was "bleeding" a stream of solid black smoke where Gourry had cut it. Amelia and Zelgadis were over by the cabin watching them.

The warrior could tell his friends were well aware of Lina's predicament, so he knew what he had to do. Gourry stood up, bringing his sword to bear, and charged towards the Mazoku again.

* * *

"I think Lina's hurt." Zelgadis growled as he watched the battle.

Amelia was directly behind him, one hand resting on the chimera's shoulder as she watched. "What are we going to do?"

"There's not much we can do, Amelia. I can't let you anywhere near that Mazoku. Looks like Gourry got a good hit on her, though."

They both watched, feeling helpless as Gourry checked on Lina, then turned and attacked the Mazoku. Without her tail, Llygad could only dodge and counterattack the warrior, and he took full advantage of it. He struck fast and hard, forcing the Mazoku woman to continually back up and away.

It didn't take long for Zelgadis to realize what he was doing and he smiled. "Alright Gourry! He's pushing Llygad away from Lina." He turned to the princess. "Do you think you have the strength to cast a big healing spell, Amelia?"

Amelia nodded and Zelgadis turned around, picking her up in his arms with ease.

"Wait for it," he said as he watched Gourry, holding Amelia close. The warrior continued to push the Mazoku back, further and further, until the two were almost to the center of the _Holy_ circle, well away from Lina. "Perfect. _Ray Wing!"_

Zelgadis lifted himself and Amelia into the air, flying straight towards Lina. It took only seconds for them to land near the sorcress, and Zelgadis put Amelia down next to her.

'Hey guys," Lina's voice was strained with pain, but she still managed to grin at them. "Come to join the party?"

"Don't talk, Lina-san." Amelia knelt down next to Lina and chanted a _Resurrection_ spell. Within moments, Lina's form was completely engulfed in a warm, soft white light.

Zelgadis placed himself between the battle and the women, keeping guard. He wanted to jump in and help Gourry, but he couldn't do that until he knew Lina and Amelia were safe.

After several minutes, Amelia stopped her healing spell, taking a moment to rest. Lina still wasn't fully healed, not by a long shot, but she was no longer in any danger. She was even able to sit up and watch the fighting.

"I'm sorry, Lina-san. That's the best I can do right now. Try not to move, or you may start bleeding again."

"Thanks, Amelia." Lina's voice was no longer strained, but she clutched her arm, which still felt like it was broken. And her legs were in no shape to support her weight. "Hey, Zel?"

The chimera turned away from the fighting to look at Lina. "Yeah?"

"Amelia is spent. Come heal my arm, will ya?"

"Your arm?" Zelgadis looked at her curiously. "Lina, your legs are in far worse shape than…"

"I can't cast spells with my feet. Now get over here and help me."

Lina had already started a healing spell on her own. Zelgadis grimaced before kneeling down next to her and adding his own healing magic to hers.

* * *

Gourry swung at the Mazoku again and again, but Llygad continued to dodge every attack with ease. It didn't matter, however. The warrior could see from the corner of his eye that Amelia had reached Lina. He couldn't help but give an inward sigh of relief when he saw his beloved sorceress sit up.

"You think you've won, haven't you, Gourry," Llygard snarled as she flew back to avoid another swing of his sword.

"I wasn't trying to win," he answered back, his voice gruff from fighting. "I just wanted to save Lina."

"A pointless effort."

Llygad suddenly flew straight into the air, high above Gourry where he couldn't reach her. The warrior could only stare as she curled herself up into a fetal position, her tail wrapped around her like she was trying to form an egg with her body. The eyestalks on her head waved about wildly in every direction, and began to glow red.

* * *

"Lina-san! Look out!" Amelia cried out.

Lina, her arm now healed, looked to see the Mazoku high in the air, curled up into a ball. It wasn't long before a stream of red beams, seemingly coming from every direction, began pouring in their direction.

"Zel! Barrier! Now!"

The chimera had seen it too, and he didn't hesitate. Both he and Lina brought their hands up, adding their power to the same magical shield, blocking all of the red beams as they came into view.

They were able to protect three of their number, but there was one who wasn't with them. Lina's eyes went wide with the fearful realization. " _Gourry_!"

The warrior was by himself, and he could not use magic. Quickly bringing his sword up, Gourry swung it around in front of him repetitively. The blade moved with such speed that it appeared as just a blur in front of him, and the beams of red energy burst and deflected all around him.

Llygad kept up her assault for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally stopped, she looked down at the warrior to assess the damage.

Once Gourry realized the attack had ceased, he stopped spinning his blade, breathing heavily from the exertion. He glanced up at the Mazoku, who simply sneered down at him. It didn't take long for the warrior to realize why.

Pain struck him all at once and he collapsed to his knees. He had blocked the vast majority of the magical beams, but some had slipped through, piercing the flesh in his arms and legs. He had even taken damage to his torso, but none of his vital organs had been hit. He leaned heavily on his sword, trying to catch his breath in painful gasps.

Llygad wasn't through, though, and she flew straight at him with blurring speed. Gourry lifted up his sword to block her, but it had become uncomfortably heavy due to his injuries, and he was too slow. Llygad reached out, encircling her clawed fingers around his head and lifting him into the air. Gourry could only manage a grunt of pain before she threw her hand back, tossing him with inhuman strength into the forest.

Gourry smacked up against a tree so hard it split at its base and toppled over with him. The warrior collapsed to the ground, and not even a twitch escaped his body.

"Gourry!" All three friends screamed at once, as tears sprang to Lina's eyes.

"Damn it, Zel, don't just stand there!' Lina shouted at the chimera. "Go kill that Mazoku bitch!"

"But what about…?"

"I can protect Amelia from here," Lina snarled, choking on her own grief. "MOVE!"

Zelgadis frowned, but stood up, drawing his sword and casting a quick _Astral Vin_ e before charging towards the Mazoku.

* * *

Xellos watched the battle from the porch of the cabin. So far the fight did not look like it was going well. To her credit, Llygad was taking her opponents very seriously. Living with them for a week and a half seemed to have been enough for her to realize these were no ordinary humans.

Xellos wasn't lying when he said he didn't want her to _win_ , and his intervention could end this fight immediately. In fact, the pain and guilt of his conscience was screaming at him to do just that; demanding he end it all. But no matter how formidable an opponent his conscience proved to be, it was helpless against his fierce loyalty to his Beastmaster.

He grimaced as he remembered the conversation he had with Amelia earlier today. _'A fate worse than death_.' That's what she called it. And after meeting Dova, and seeing what she had become, he couldn't agree more.

Humans had such fragile souls that were so easy to break, even after death. The Magical Fusion ceremony was over, but Amelia's soul was still linked with his.

And if the battle continued like this, Amelia might yet share poor Dova's fate.

* * *

Llygad smiled wickedly as she looked towards the now unconscious warrior, and quickly turned her attention to the others. They had all put themselves in a nice, convenient little group for her.

She watched the chimera break away and charge. _'These humans are such fools,_ ' she thought as she braced herself. _'If they'd just let me kill the shrine maiden they could have all gone on with their miserably short lives.'_

Zelgadis swung down at the Mazoku with his sword and she backed away, dodging it effortlessly. She brought her hand up, the red eye glowing for a spell that she shot at the chimera.

" _Freeze Arrow_!" An icy lance sprang from Zelgadis' outstretched hand and it struck the beam, both dissipating harmlessly upon contact.

Llygad rushed forth, swiping at Zelgadis with her long, needle-like claws. The chimera brought his sword up, parrying the blow and slicing off the Mazoku's claws in the process. She backed away, glaring at the chimera.

Zelgadis didn't stop as he began chanting another spell, his hand glowing with electrical energy, _"Earth below me, submit to my will!"_ The chimera slammed his hand into the ground, releasing the spell. " _Dug Haut!_ "

The ground below the Mazoku shook. As she watched, large stone spikes began shooting out of the ground at incredible speed, surrounding her on all sides. The spikes were created so close together, that Llygad found herself with limited room to maneuver.

Still, she could only look at the chimera in confusion. "And just what was that supposed to accomplish?"

Zelgadis ignored her. He was already in the process of casting another spell, and this time he slammed both hands onto the ground in front of him. " _Gozu Vrow_!"

Two black, living shadows sprang forth from his hands, traveling towards the Mazoku. Llygad sneered. It was another worthless spell, as the _Gozu Vrow_ was limited to the ground, and she was perpetually floating in the air.

Her smile dropped however, as she looked around her. She was surrounded on all sides by the crowded _Dug Haut_ spikes, and it was then that she understood what Zelgadis had planned.

The _Gozu Vrow_ shot towards the spikes with great speed, and began to climb them like a fast moving snake. Llygad shot into the air, trying to fly above the spikes and avoid the living shadow. She didn't get far.

" _Elmekia Lance_!" Lina's spell shot towards the Mazoku, and she was forced to duck down into the spikes again to avoid it. This was a critical mistake. She slammed her left side into a spike, and the _Gozu Vrow_ caught her at that precise moment.

Llygad screamed as the shadow struck her left arm and disintegrated it, leaving a gaping hole in her side where black, smoke-like miasma bled out. She snarled from the pain and turned back to the chimera, but once again he was preparing another spell, and she was not quick enough to dodge it.

" _Rah Tilt_!"

* * *

Xellos watched from the cabin as Llygad was engulfed by the bright, white light of Zelgadis' _Rah Tilt_. For a brief moment, he saw the Mazoku woman raise her hands in front of her, as if it could block the effects of the powerful astral spell. It was likely a reflex reaction; a pointless effort.

When the bright light of the _Rah Tilt_ finally disintegrated, Llygad was no where to be seen.

For a brief moment, Xellos smiled to himself. It seemed, for a while there, he had overestimated the annoying rogue. "Hmm, well done my friends. Very well do…"

He stopped, his smile quickly dropping as he felt a very familiar presence on the Astral Plane.

* * *

"Alright! That's what I call team work. Great job, Zel!" Lina cheered as the chimera walked back to her and Amelia.

"Thanks for the support, Lina." He smiled down at her, and she returned it with a thumbs up.

"I need to get to Gourry-san, somehow," Amelia said as she stood up, her legs shaking. "We have to make sure he's okay."

"I'll take you over there, Amelia." Zelgadis took hold of her, wrapping one arm round her waist as she grabbed onto his shoulder for support. "Hang tight, Lina. We'll fix you up after we check on Gourry."

Lina nodded, and the chimera took into the air with a _Ray Wing_ , flying over to where Gourry lay.

The warrior had not fared well, but he was still breathing. Blood trickled from his mouth and ear, and his right arm was twisted at an odd angle. Zelgadis and Amelia both knelt down next to him and began casting a _Recovery_ spell.

A musical "woosh" from nearby caught both of their attentions, and they found Xellos standing at Gourry's feet. The Mazoku's expression was unreadable as he first looked to Zelgadis, then turned his closed-eye gaze to Amelia

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. "It's over now, Xellos. No thanks to you."

Xellos didn't acknowledge the chimera. He walked straight over to Amelia, kneeling down next to her and grabbing hold of her arm. The movement startled her enough to stop her Recovery spell.

"Xellos-san! What are you doing?" She tried to jerk her arm away, but he held it fast. Otherwise, however, he ignored her, too.

The Mazoku turned to look at Zelgadis, bringing his other hand up in front of his face, palm sideways, in a gesture of pleading. "Please excuse us, Zelgadis-san. I'm afraid I need to borrow Amelia-san for a moment."

"What?" Zelgadis growled, despite the confusion in his voice. "What the hell are you…?"

"Oh don't worry," Xellos continued, now waving his hand casually. "You'll thank me in about three seconds." He suddenly vanished, taking Amelia with him.

As predicted, Zelgadis only had three seconds to contemplate what the Mazoku was up to, before a horrible pain suddenly shot through his right shoulder. He cried out in pain, as blood gushed from the wound that had appeared, and his right arm now lay limp at his side.

Llygad suddenly appeared gloating in front of him, hovering over Gourry's still form. Her one remaining hand was dripping with blood where she had stabbed Zelgadis.

The chimera looked up at her, snarling in pain as he tried to stop the bleeding in his shoulder. Llygad stared right back, despite now missing half of her eyestalks on the left side of her head, the same side that was missing an arm. These remaining eyes bore into Zelgadis with frightening fury.

"An arm for an arm, chimera" she growled back at him. "I'd go an eye for an eye as well, but you don't have enough to compensate me."

* * *

Amelia's stomach lurched at the now familiar sensation of being ported by a Mazoku, and she found herself sitting on the porch of the cabin again, just above the steps. Xellos released her arm, gazing back towards the fight.

Amelia glared up at the Mazoku priest. "I'm getting really tired of being carried all over the field."

Xellos didn't look at her. His attention was entirely focused on the area where he'd snatched her from. Amelia turned to look and her eyes widened in shock. Llygad was back, and was standing over an obviously injured Zelgadis.

"Amelia-san?" Xellos turned his attention to the princess. She whipped around to face the Mazoku, her face still showing shock. "What was it you said after the _Holy Cleansing_ ceremony?"

"What?"

"You said something about Dova-san." His eyes were open and fierce, his tone sincere. "What is it you know that you haven't told me, Amelia-san?"

"We don't have time for that." There was a great deal of fear in her voice. "We have to help Zelgadis-san!"

Xellos' mouth upturned in a half-smile. "You should really leave the secret-keeping to me, Amelia-san. I need you to tell me about Dova-san."

"I'm not keeping secrets," she retorted. "There are more important things to worry about right now then…"

"Dova-san put the mark back on you, didn't she?"

Amelia glared at Xellos. "At the end of my dream, Ginna…I mean Dova-san told me not to cast the spell. She also said not to bother with it because she was going to make sure it didn't work. So, yes, I think she's the one that put the mark back on me."

Xellos gazed down at the princess for a few moments, before letting a smirk cross his lips again. "I see. You may be right, Amelia-san. I do believe she is the one keeping these marks on us."

"Not that it matters," Amelia slumped into a sitting position as she watched Zelgadis. "I doubt she'll be able to keep the mark on you after I'm dead."

Xellos frowned as he looked down at Amelia.

* * *

Zelgadis stood up, drawing his sword awkwardly with his left hand. With his right arm out of commission he was severely limited in what spells he could use, but he was still able to place an _Astral Vine_ on his sword.

First thing's first. He had to get her away from Gourry, before she caused the warrior further harm.

Zelgadis crouched down, leaping into the air towards the Mazoku and swinging his sword at her midsection. Llygad smiled, dodging his attack with ease. As Zelgadis flew past her, she spun around, smacking him in the back with the flesh of her tail.

The chimera felt the air get knocked out of him as he flew forward, smacking into a tree and slumping to the ground. He kept hold of his sword, however, and he used it as he struggled to stand up.

He was only half standing when he heard her evil laughter behind him. He spun around as fast as he could, swinging his sword as he did so, but hit nothing but air.

"Oh, I do wonder how long I should play with you before I go after your little shrine maiden." He could only hear her voice, her laughter echoing in the forest, and he growled in frustration.

He heard a slight noise behind him, and whirled around, swinging. His magically enhanced sword sliced clean through the tree he had struck before, sending it toppling down to the side.

"So jumpy," Llygad taunted. The voice came from behind him, but Zelgadis didn't have time to react. A red beam of magical energy shot through his left lung and he cried out in pain, collapsing to his knees. "But I'm afraid I really do need to get back to work."

Zelgadis felt his chest fill up with fluid and he coughed and choked, spitting up blood as he did so. He fell to the ground face first, his breath coming in strained gasps.

He could feel Llygad hovering over him, giggling like the cute little girl her human form conveyed. "You'll live, for now. I may come back to you later, chimera. After I take care of your woman."

* * *

Lina could only watch helplessly from where she sat as she saw Zelgadis fall. The Mazoku sprang into the air and immediately began flying towards the cabin.

They were all too far away for Lina to reach them with her magic, and she cursed her luck under breath. She had only one spell that could reach that far, and it was sure to destroy everything in the area, including Amelia.

" _Levitation_!" She chanted the spell, feeling herself lifting into the air. A sharp pain hit her legs, and Lina cried out, cancelling the spell and letting herself fall back to the ground again.

She inhaled through gritted teeth, her breath hissing as she waited for the pain to subside. She dared to look back at her legs, and found they had started bleeding again. "Damnit, I can't even use magic to get to her."

She dared to look up through tear-filled eyes, as she saw the Mazoku fast approaching Xellos and the princess.

"Amelia," she gasped. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Here she comes, Amelia-san."

Xellos didn't have to say it. The princess could already see the Mazoku fast approaching and she stood up, using the porch railing to help. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop her legs from shaking. She desperately wanted to rest; to sleep. Her body was begging her to stop, but she couldn't possibly give up without a fight.

Llygad brought her one hand up, shooting a large red bolt of energy at Amelia.

" _Vis-Fan Rank_!" Amelia's hand glowed with the power of her spell, and she brought it in front of her face, parrying the blow with her hand.

Adrenaline now pumping through her veins Amelia charged forward, swinging her fist at the Mazoku, who dodged it easily. The princess spun around and with another quick spell, redirected her magic to her foot just before sending a roundhouse kick to her opponent.

Llygad sneered as she caught Amelia's leg with her hand, tossing it aside like a rag doll. Amelia stumbled and fell, but she quickly stood up again, bringing her fists up like a boxer. She rushed forward again, swinging with a right hook, but again Llygad dodged, looking amused.

Amelia gasped for air but continued the assault. She punched again at the Mazoku, who side-stepped it, and Amelia followed with an uppercut from her other hand. Llygad leaned her head back, letting Amelia's fist hit nothing but air.

Amelia stepped back, feeling her _Vis-Fan Rank_ begin to fade. The spell only lasted so long, especially in her condition, and she was going to have to recast it if she wanted to continue fighting.

" _Vis-Fa….Vis-Fa Ra…Vis…"_ She stumbled over the words, her vision becoming blurred. _"No! Not yet…I can't…"_ She struggled to stay awake, but exhaustion quickly overtook her. The world turned black and she succumbed, falling face first to the ground.

* * *

Llygad hovered over her prey, sneering at the prone form of the black-haired princess.

"Such lively little humans these are, Xellos." She turned several eyestalks to look back at the Mazoku priest, who came down the steps to her.

"Yes, I agree. You can see why I find them so fascinating."

Llygad turned back to the princess, bringing her hand up to point her palm at her. "Be ready, Xellos. You are finally going to be free of your cursed mark."

"Indeed I will be freed," Xellos grinned, knowing that despite being behind her, she could see every move he was making. So Llygad was caught off guard when Xellos suddenly opened his eyes, the pupils flashing with magical energy. "But not by you."

* * *

Lina choked out a scream when she saw Amelia collapse. She started to crawl towards her, but the pain in her legs made her stop with a yelp and she fell to the ground face first.

"No! Why do I have to be so damn helpless right now!" She lifted her head up, watching as the Mazoku approached her friend and prepared the death blow.

Then the unthinkable happened. Lina watched as Xellos brought his hand up, and streams of black energy escaped it, encircling the startled Mazoku woman. She could hear Llygad scream out in rage, slicing at the streams with her one hand, but they quickly engulfed and immobilized her.

"What the hell?" Lina watched as Xellos approached Llygad from the side and began speaking to her, but they were too far away for Lina to hear. "Xellos, what are you doing?"

The Mazoku priest continued to say some words to Llygad that Lina couldn't hear. Llygad's furious words, although louder, were just as difficult to make out.

Lina watched, gaping as Xellos walked over to Amelia's prone form and picked her up. He immediately vanished, and a musical porting sound behind the sorceress told her exactly where he had gone. She looked behind her and watched as Xellos gently placed Amelia's still form on the ground.

"Xellos!" Lina cried out to him, still in shock. "What the hell are you doing? You can't disobey…"

"Amelia-san is safe now," Xellos interrupted, walking closer to Lina to stand next to her. "The rogue is all yours, Lina-san."

"What? Xellos, what about…?"

"I'd gladly kill her myself if I could." His tone had a sense of mirth, but his eyes shot open as he looked at Lina with a fierce and intense stare. It was emphasized by the sweat beading on his brow.

Lina matched Xellos' gaze for just a few moments, before smirking at him, setting her jaw and nodding. "Alright, Xellos, I understand. As long as you've taken care of Amelia, I'll take care of Llygad for you."

She looked back towards the Mazoku woman and brought her hands in front of her in preparation. Her Demon's Blood Talismans began to glow, enhancing her magical power, and she began to cast her signature spell.

" _Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time,"_

Lina could hear Llygad screaming in rage from the other side of the clearing.

"Xellos! How dare you! Beastmaster-sama will hear of this!"

Xellos grinned as he yelled back, "Oh I'm sure she will."

" _In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!"_

"Xellos! Release me immediately!"

"But Lina-san isn't done with her spell yet."

" _All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess."_

Llygad could only make one, last, pleading scream, "Xellos!"

" _Dragon Slave_!"

* * *

From Burto, the figure flying from the south would only be seen as a small, golden spec in the sky. If she flew any lower, however, the small village would panic. The sight of a full-grown dragon was rarely welcomed with open arms among the nervous human populace.

Filia gazed down at the small village and began a slow decent. Her magic told her that he was close, probably somewhere near this village. She'd likely have to touch down a distance away so she could safely take her human form.

She began to fly to the north, descending towards a small clearing to find a landing spot. She was just close enough to see the barely recognizable outline of a cabin when an explosion, big enough to destroy a small city, blasted the lodge. She stopped, but couldn't get out of the way in time. Within moments, the shock wave hit, shaking the air around her and disrupting her flight.

She roared in fear as she flipped in the air, trying desperately to regain control. After several fast descents and twists she found the stable air currents again and was able to hover over the area. She looked down at the ground below and saw a large crater just north of Burto, still smoking from the explosion.

"That was a _Dragon Slave_!" She said with awe as she looked down. "That must mean…"

Her long dragon maw formed a smile, and she flew in the direction of the brand new crater.

* * *

Llygad's final death scream could still be heard echoing in the forest air as the remnants of the _Dragon Slave_ began to fall back to the earth. Bits and pieces of the cabin destroyed rained down from the sky in the form of splintered wood.

Lina slowly put her hands down. This victory felt bittersweet somehow. She looked over at Xellos, who was looking at the destruction with a soft expression.

"Well done, Lina-san." His voice was barely a whisper, but he seemed genuinely pleased.

Lina wasn't so happy. "Xellos, you _idiot_!" she yelled and scolded him, a small amount of fear in her voice. "You were told not to interfere, but that definitely counted as interfering. What the hell were you doing?"

Xellos looked over at her, staring straight into Lina's concerned face. His only answer was a sly grin, just before he vanished.

"What the…no! Damnit, Xellos get back here! Xellos!" She choked on her own words, but she was yelling in vain. Xellos was gone.

"I…don't believe it," she whispered to herself, her voice full of fear and disbelief. "Did Xellos…did he just turn _rogue_?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 14: Exorcism  
> Who you gonna' call? Wait…Filia?


	14. Exorcism

Lina couldn't even concentrate enough to cast a Recovery spell on herself. Her thoughts were in a whirl with what she had just witnessed.

"It's…it's impossible! He couldn't have betrayed his Master. He just wouldn't…" Lina covered her mouth with her hand, feeling a swarm of emotions as she thought of the possibilities.

Xellos was an obnoxious, arrogant, annoying, no-good evil bastard, but she still liked him. Sorta. Mazoku like him obeyed their masters without question, and for good reason.

Defiance was not tolerated.

She glanced over at Amelia's prone form, laying a few feet from her. She could see the princess's body rise and fall in slow breaths. Xellos may have been the ultimate keeper of secrets, but she knew him well enough to know that he was intensely devoted to Beastmaster Zellas. If anyone had suggested to her that he might betray his Master, she would have smacked them silly for such stupidity. And she would have smacked them some more if they suggested he did it for _Amelia_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rushing wind and beating wings. Lina looked up and her eyes went wide with fear and awe. A golden dragon, of all things, was hovering above, slowly descending to land directly in front of her. Like most dragons, she had a sleek, reptilian body with large, leathery wings. Tufts of blonde hair that matched her golden scales stuck out of the top of her head, and her eyes were large, blue, and very human-like.

Lina leaned back, apprehensive at the sight, until she noticed a lovely little pink ribbon tied around the base of the dragon's long, spade-shaped tail.

"Filia!" All fear washed away and Lina smiled. The golden dragon touched down in front of her, causing the ground to tremble. The dragon lifted up her head, and was suddenly engulfed in a bright, golden light.

The golden light shrank down to the size of a person, taking the shape of a woman. In moments, the transformation was complete, and Filia smiled at the sorceress.

"Lina-san. I knew that _Dragon Slave_ I saw had to be yours." She looked around at the field, taking note of Amelia's unconscious form. "What happened here?"

"It's a long story, Filia." Lina sighed, relaxing again. "But boy am I glad you are here. We're a mess and could really use your healing magic right now."

"Oh, absolutely, Lina-san!" Filia tucked the small, wooden horse she had clutched in her hands into her cloak before rushing over to the sorceress. She brought her hands up, and spoke the chant for a powerful healing spell. Lina felt the familiar warm, soft light cover her body, comforting her as it began to mend her wounds.

"Lina-san?" Filia asked as she looked around. "Where's Xellos? I thought he'd be here with you."

"Huh?" Lina looked at her curiously. "How did you know Xellos was here?"

"I was tracking him to this place." Filia answered matter-of-factly. "But he seems to have vanished now."

"Why would you want to find him?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated him."

Filia glared back at the sorceress. "Oh, I do, Lina-san. But Xellos informed me that someone here was impersonating me, and I had to check it out. What with my business and all, I have a reputation to protect."

"Right, sure," Lina snickered. She didn't smile for long however, and her expression turned sad and concerned as she remembered those last few moments with the Mazoku.

"You're almost done, Lina-san," Filia announced. "Then I can get to work on Amelia-san."

Lina looked back, surprised to find that her legs were almost as good as new, even if her pants and boots were still shredded to pieces. "Don't worry about Amelia," she told the dragon priestess. "She's just passed out, so my magic can take care of her. I need you to go and check on Gourry and Zelgadis. They're hurt pretty bad."

"Huh?" She finished her spell and looked across the field, getting her first glimpse of the unconscious men on the other side. "Oh, of course, Lina-san. Right away." Filia rushed across the field towards them.

* * *

Thanks to the dragon-priestess, each member of the group was revived within the hour. Lina spent some time during the healing explaining to Filia everything that happened up until that point, with Zelgadis and Amelia filling in the gaps for the Magical Fusion ceremony. Although they told her about the ghost girl, Dova, and how she was impersonating Filia in Amelia's dreams, the couple decided not to mention Amelia's possession.

With the cabin disintegrated by Lina's _Dragon Slave_ and night fast approaching, the group headed to the nearby town of Burto. At an inn sitting on the edge of the forest, they secured three rooms: one for Lina and Gourry, one for Zelgadis and Amelia, and another for Filia. They then crossed the dirt street to a restaurant recommended by the innkeeper.

The restaurant was in one of the larger huts in Burto. Despite its primitive workmanship, the place was sturdy and clean, and the food was fantastic. The circular hut had a small section cornered off from the rest of the dining area, but the kitchen sat squarely in the center of the room. Several cooks slaved over a giant, drum-like cylinder with a skillet cooking top and a fire pit below. A hole in the roof let the smoke from the fire pit escape the restaurant.

Every chef in the place was frantically cooking the various meats and stir-frys, trying to keep up with the table full of ravenous sorcerers and warriors that had just come in.

Lina sat facing the center stove, Gourry to her left and Amelia to her right. The three of them were all chowing down as if they hadn't eaten in days. Zelgadis and Filia, sitting with their backs to the stove, seemed to be the only one showing any table manners. They ate their food at a leisurely pace.

After a couple of hours, when everyone had had their fill and were patting their bellies in satisfaction, the kitchen crew began cleaning up, and the five of them took the time to talk about recent events.

"I just find it hard to believe, Lina-san," Filia's voice and face were calm, but she kept scrunching up the lap of her skirt nervously. "Xellos just wouldn't do that."

"I only know what I saw, Filia." Lina folded her arms in front of her somberly. "He was told not to interfere by order of his Master. If that isn't interfering, I don't know what is."

"You guys are as thick as Gourry sometimes," Zelgadis countered in annoyance. "It's safe to assume that Xellos had different orders or he found some sort of loophole in them. He's not so foolish as to go defying his Dark Lord just for _us_."

Amelia spoke up, her voice soft and timid as she stared at the table. "But his conscience does make him do things he wouldn't normally do, Zelgadis-san."

The chimera had no answer for that. He couldn't deny it, as he'd witnessed firsthand the kind of effect it had on Xellos.

"You know," Filia spoke up, "I never realized Xellos didn't have a conscience to begin with, though I should have guessed. How else could he have killed thousands of my kind without batting an eye?"

"Yeah," Lina spoke up. "And if you are thinking of trying to guilt him over it now, Filia, you can forget it. Xellos is really good at justifying pretty much everything he does."

Filia looked down at her lap, trying to feel anger, yet again, for what he'd done, but the anger wouldn't come. She had now gathered up so much of her dress in her nervous hands that the garter holding her mace was showing. Her modesty made her blush and she pushed it all down again, trying to straighten out the wrinkles. "I just wish I knew how he was going to justify his treachery to his Dark Lord."

"I don't get it," Gourry said as he scratched his head in confusion. "Why is it so bad if Xellos disobeyed his Master? Wouldn't he just be court-martialled or something?"

"Duh, Gourry," Lina glared at the warrior. "If he was human, maybe. But he's a Mazoku, and betrayal among them means certain death. Mazoku are not as merciful as we are."

"But Lie-God betrayed _her_ Dark Lord, didn't she?" He furrowed his brow as he tried his best to think.

"Hey, nice one Gourry. You actually said her name right." Lina praised. "But I'm pretty sure Xellos would have killed her on sight, if she didn't hold the key to freeing him from his marks."

Filia closed her eyes, her face full of sorrow. "So, for all we know, he's already gone. Destroyed for his betrayal."

"Oh I doubt that." Lina smirked, and everyone turned to look at her. "If killing Amelia is supposed to remove the mark from Xellos, I think it's safe to assume that Xellos' death would remove the mark from Amelia as well."

Everyone turned to look at Amelia's hand, including the princess. She lifted it up, gazing down at the black mark on her finger, which was in clear contrast to her light skin.

"As long as Amelia has that mark, it's a sure bet Xellos is alive somewhere."

Zelgadis rolled his eyes, glaring at the rest of the group. "And so what? Even if he has gone rogue, he's caused us nothing but trouble since we met him. It makes me sick that you guys are acting like you just lost a favorite puppy or something."

Lina glared back at Zelgadis. "As much trouble as he causes, Zel, he has also saved us countless times. You can't help but get a bit attached to someone like that, even if he _is_ a Mazoku."

"Lina, we wouldn't need him to save us if he wasn't getting us into trouble in the first place."

"Ugh, you are hopeless, Zelgadis. Think of this then, for a sec." Lina stood up, leaning over the table, and the chimera leaned back nervously. "No matter how much you may hate him, Zelgadis, he's the reason Amelia is sitting next to you right now. You ought to be thanking him."

Zelgadis glanced at Amelia, his expression softening and he fell silent. Lina sat back down, smiling smugly.

"You know," Amelia spoke up, standing to get everyone's attention. "Maybe we are thinking about this all wrong. Maybe this is the best thing ever!"

"Huh?" Lina looked at the princess in confusion.

Amelia smiled, placing her hands on her hips in a triumphant pose. "Think about it, guys. Xellos-san is very powerful. It would take one of the Dark Lords themselves coming after him to take him down. So he may not be in as much danger as we'd think."

Lina raised an eyebrow at the princess. "Yea, right, _just_ the Dark Lords. And that is suppose to make us feel better…how?"

Amelia crossed her arms in front of her, striking a regal pose. "If Xellos-san is no longer following his Dark Lord, then he has less reason to get rid of his new conscience. He may just keep it instead of working so hard to get rid of it." Her smile grew wider, and she glanced down in thought. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I definitely prefer our new, improved Xellos-san over the old one. Maybe Dova-san is right; he may yet become a true warrior of Justice!"

Zelgadis shook his head in embarrassment. "Amelia, I'm pretty sure his desire to get rid of his guilt is more than enough motivation for him."

"He's _here_!"

Filia suddenly stood up, slamming her hands on the table so hard a crack appeared near her. Everyone jumped in surprise and turned to her. "I can feel him! He's in here! Show yourself, Xellos!"

"Ah, Filia-san. You really take the fun out of sneaking up on people."

Everyone turned towards the center of the restaurant. Xellos sat there, legs crossed, on top of the central cooking top. He lifted up his hand in a wave and smiled at everyone, before jumping down to walk towards them.

"Sir," one of the cooks said as he addressed Xellos nervously. "Please don't sit on the stove."

"Xellos!" Filia glared at the Mazoku, her mace already in hand as she marched towards him angrily. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick over…you."

Her expression softened, and Xellos cocked his head as he looked at her curiously. Tears sprang to the dragon priestesses eyes, and she flung herself at the shocked Mazoku, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and cried.

Xellos just stood there stunned, not expecting this kind of reaction. This was the second time since he started his mission that some woman flung herself into his arms. "Uh, Filia-san?"

Lina stood up, glaring at the Mazoku. "Xellos! What have you been doing all this time?"

Xellos looked over at Lina, relaxing and ignoring the dragon priestess still sobbing on his shoulder. "What do you mean, Lina-san? I was reporting to Beastmaster-sama everything that happened at the _Holy Cleansing_ ceremony. What did you think I would be doing?"

"What?" Filia released Xellos, backing up a step to look at him in shock. "But how could you do that when you've gone rogue?"

"Rogue?" Xellos looked at the group confused. "What are you talking about?"

Lina snarled. "Alright, enough with the games, Xellos! What the hell happened back there?"

Xellos returned Lina's glare with a confused look, then replaced it with a cheerful smile. "Lina-san? Did you really think I would betray my Master? I thought you knew me better than that. Oh, no, no. I assure you that once I explained everything, Beastmaster-sama agreed that Llygad-san had to be destroyed."

"What?" Lina's confusion only grew. "Why?"

"My master's orders," Xellos continued, raising a finger at her for emphasis, "were to kill Amelia only after all other options for removing the marks were attempted. I'm afraid Llygad-san was a bit too impatient."

Lina rolled her eyes. "So you killed her for being impatient. Typical Mazoku."

Xellos shrugged, "She was a rogue, as she made clear to me when she refused to show proper respect to her Mazoku Lord. And we didn't want her back anyway."

Lina narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms in front of her. "And I'm willing to bet that you didn't say anything sooner just to make me _think_ you'd gone rogue too, didn't you?"

Xellos chuckled, "Yes, well, I must say, it was touching to hear all those wonderful things you were all saying about m…"

The Mazoku's next comment was interrupted by a mace smacking him in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"How dare you play with a woman's feelings like that!" Filia screamed, still holding the mace above her head.

Xellos looked up at her in indignation, rubbing his head where she hit him. "Oww."

"Yet one more thing I wish you'd feel guilty about, but you inevitably won't." Lina sighed, sitting back down in her seat.

Everyone sat down again at the table. Xellos took a spot between Gourry and Filia. The dragon priestess's violent outburst had served to clear all of the tables surrounding them, so they spoke in relative privacy.

"Well, now that you are back, Xellos," Lina said, leaning against the table. "What's the plan now?"

"Well, despite Amelia-san's wishes for me, I still very much want to remove these marks." He gazed around the table, making sure he had everyone's attention. Even Gourry's. "And since the _Holy Cleansing_ was not successful, I will have to go with a new plan."

"You know," Gourry spoke up, surprising everyone. "Now that Filia's here, why not have _her_ try that holy clean-up thingy?"

Filia brightened up. "That's a great idea, Gourry-san."

Xellos smirked, "It won't work, Filia, but you are welcome to try."

"It's going to take a long time to create another circle," Amelia cut in. "Do we have that much time?"

Filia smiled smugly. "Oh, that summoning circle is only necessary for beginners and extra-stubborn curses, Amelia-san. Just trust me and give me your hand."

Amelia glared at Filia, but complied, placing her left hand in Filia's. The dragon priestess held it up as she brought her other hand to hover over the mark.

" _Bakino kas'ote samade owa'tis_ ta. _Tadei nos'int pava'mo ki'linto_." Filia's hand began to glow, and the mark on Amelia's finger separated, circling around her hand like it did during the ceremony.

" _Holy Cleansing!_ " The mark suddenly leaped from Amelia's hand to Filia's, vanishing into the dragon priestess' glowing palm.

"There, see?" Filia commented proudly. "Nothing to it. Just a…huh?"

Filia's bragging was cut off when Amelia's ring finger began to glow with a white light. In a moment the light was gone, and the mark was back yet again.

Filia blinked in surprise. "Wow. That wasn't supposed to happen."

Xellos, who wasn't surprised at all, stood up from his seat. He walked over to the other side of the table, removing his glove as he did so. "Amelia-san, would you please put your hand on the table where everyone can see it."

Amelia glanced at Xellos curiously as he came over, but halfheartedly placed her left hand on the table. The Mazoku placed himself between Amelia and Lina and put his right hand down next to Amelia's.

"Notice anything different about our marks?"

Everyone leaned forward, gazing at the hands laid flat on the table. The mark on Xellos' hands looked basically the same as it had before, solid black with weaves of gold inside of it.

But on Amelia's finger, the weaves of gold were instead weaves of _red_. Even the black band looked darker and richer. Amelia hadn't noticed it before and her eyes went wide with the realization.

"Okay, so why is Amelia's red instead of gold, Xellos?" Lina asked rhetorically.

Xellos smirked, "When we first got these marks, they looked like Amelia-san's does now: black with red…and some white for Zelgadis-san." He added that last part as an afterthought, which only got a snort of disgust from the chimera. "After a few weeks the red faded to gold. I'm not sure why, but it just seemed to be the nature of the marks.

"My mark is gold," he continued, "because it hasn't changed since Zelgadis-san's mark was removed. Amelia-san's mark, however, is fresh and new. Every single time _Holy Cleansing_ was cast on it, the spell _did_ remove it. It just keeps being reapplied by something, or I should say, some _one_."

Everyone was thinking it, but it was Amelia that whispered it. "Dova-san."

"She's such a pesky little ghost, isn't she?" Xellos chuckled, removing his hand from the table and putting his glove back on.

"So, in other words," Lina said with a knowing smirk, "If we want to get rid of those marks, we have to get rid of the ghost."

"Exactly, Lina-san!"

"Well that shouldn't be a problem." Lina shrugged, raising her hands into the air. "We have not one, but _two_ shrine maidens. We just need to exorcise her and our problems are over. Piece of cake."

"But where is she, Lina-san?" Filia asked.

"She's inside of me," Xellos answered.

"Oh that's _right_." Filia sneered wickedly, getting a surprised blink from Xellos. "Well, in that case."

Filia raised her hands in the air and prepared a spell. _"You pitiful, twisted creature, not of this world... by the Light of Purity I possess, I bid thee, begone to the nexus of our two worlds!"_

"Uh, Filia?" Lina said nervously. Xellos narrowed his eyes angrily at the dragon priestess, but didn't move.

" _MEGIDO FLARE!"_

Normally such a spell would effect an entire area, but Filia concentrated it, sending it as a bolt of bright light directly at Xellos. It never reached him, however, as it struck an invisible shield in front of the Mazoku and dissipated around him harmlessly.

"Hmph, well we certainly can't help you if you block the spell, Xellos." Filia crossed her arms stubbornly. The Mazoku's eye twitched in anger.

"Filia-san," Amelia scolded. "That wasn't very nice."

"Huh, what?" Gourry looked back and forth between the dragon and Mazoku in total bafflement. "Wait? Why didn't it work? Why did Xellos block it?"

"Oh, Gourry," Lina covered her face with her hand in embarrassment. "Let me explain it to you, Numbskull. Exorcism spells work by increasing positive emotions in an area, thus making the undead more inclined to moving on to the afterlife. Xellos blocked it because, even though that spell wouldn't have seriously hurt him, as a Mazoku it wouldn't have been all that pleasant, either."

"Oh, uh, okay," Gourry nodded, though his confused expression made it clear he didn't understand at all.

Filia grinned. "Well, I don't know what you guys thought my motivation was," she couldn't hide the mischief in her voice. "I was just trying to get rid of Xellos' ghost. It's not my fault if he doesn't like the happy thoughts that go with it."

"If that nonsense is over now," Xellos spoke up. He looked away from Filia, but a slight twitch in his mouth made it clear he still wasn't happy with her. "I'm afraid if we want to get rid of this ghost, our first step will be to remove her from my body."

Lina leaned back in her chair as she grinned at the Mazoku. "I take it you have some idea on how to do that Xellos?"

"Yes I do. And it's the only reason why I'm actually glad that Filia-san decided to join us. We wouldn't be able to exorcise the ghost without her, I'm afraid."

"Why not?" Lina raised an eye-brow. "Amelia is perfectly capable of doing it."

"Amelia-san won't be able to."

His eyes turned to Amelia, and it didn't take long for the princess to realize what he meant. The shock caused her to stand up in her seat so fast she knocked her chair back. "No way!" She practically screamed at him. "You are _not_ casting that on me again!"

"What?" Lina looked back and forth between the princess and Mazoku confused. "What do you mean 'again?'"

It was the reaction Xellos had been expecting, so he was not phased. "Dova-san cannot be exorcised from me, but she can be exorcised from _you_ , Amelia-san. It's the best op…"

Zelgadis interrupted him with a growl. "After what happened the last time, I can't believe you'd even consider it."

Xellos chuckled. "Oh, come now. Since you two _know_ about her, the same thing certainly isn't going to happen again, now is it?"

"Wait? What are you guys talking about?" Lina was sitting up straight again, looking back and forth between the three. "What happened?"

Amelia suddenly blushed furiously and Zelgadis narrowed his eyes at the Mazoku. Lina furrowed her brow as realization dawned on her. "Wait, you mean this ghost possessed Amelia _before_?"

"Xellos," Zelgadis growled at the Mazoku, ignoring Lina. "It wasn't just _that_. Don't forget, she scratched up Amelia's arms the last time you let that ghost possess her. Who knows what else she is capable of? It's too dangerous."

Xellos grinned at the chimera. "If you have any other options, Zelgadis-san, I'm willing to listen."

Lina spoke up, "Can you have the ghost possess someone else, Xellos?"

The Mazoku shook his head. "It is only because of the Soul Link we share that I can force her into Amelia's body at all.

"Of course," he smirked, glancing at the chimera, "If my link with Zelgadis had remained intact, I could have used it on him. That would have been both effective and amusing."

"Oh yeah," Zelgadis said sarcastically. "A laugh a minute."

"Amelia-san," Xellos looked at the princess and spoke in earnest. "It is because of what happened last time that I won't do this without your permission. So…"

"Good!" Amelia interrupted harshly. "Because I won't allow it."

Xellos sighed, but did not continue. Silence befell the table for several long, dragged out moments. Most of the table stole glances towards Amelia, who sat with her arms folded, her head bowed and jaw set stubbornly.

Lina couldn't be certain what had happened to Amelia to make her so set against the plan. Neither Zelgadis nor Amelia had told her what happened in the forest when they broke up. But it didn't take a genius to know this ghost had had something to do with it, so the sorceress could hardly blame her for refusing.

Lina continued to look at the table as she finally broke the silence. "Xellos, are there any other options available to us besides letting a crazy ghost possess Amelia?"

Xellos grinned, "Yes, of course! We can just wait till my master sends another assassin to kill her."

Amelia took a sharp intake of breath. Lina just glowered at him. "I don't consider that an option, Xellos. Can't you just kick Dova out without possessing Amelia?"

Xellos gave Lina a curious look. "Lina-san, if I was capable of doing that, I would have done it already."

"Well, how about we try the Megado Flare again and you _not_ block it this time." Lina smirked. "I'm sure you can handle a few positive emotions for a short while."

Xellos shook his head. "That spell would not be capable of penetrating my Mazoku body. I may as well be an impenetrable suit of armor. The only way we can defeat her is to remove her from me first."

Lina sat back in her chair, her eyes still glued to the table in deep thought. She glanced over at Amelia, watching her clench her jaw over and over again. The princess was scared, but also resolute.

Which made it all the more difficult for Lina to say, but, "Amelia, I think you should do it."

The princess looked up at Lina with a slack jaw. "What?"

"I think Xellos has made it very clear this ghost is keeping the marks on you, and letting her posses you is the only way we can get rid of her. I don't like it anymore than you do, but I think it's best to go with his plan."

Amelia clenched her fists in anger, "Lina-san, how can you even suggest that? You have no idea what it's like to be possessed by a gho….I mean…" Amelia stammered when she saw Lina's expression. For a moment, the princess had forgotten that Lina _had_ been possessed before: by multiple whacky ghosts.

"Well, okay, maybe you do but…" Amelia took a deep breath before continuing. "Lina-san, I just..I just can't do it."

The sorceress sighed, covering her eyes with her hand. Instinctively she wanted to strangle the stubborn princess, but it just didn't seem appropriate. "Alright, Amelia. The choice is yours, and we certainly can't force you."

Zelgadis stood up beside Amelia, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're here for you, Amelia. Whatever Beastmaster Zellas decides to throw at you, we'll defend you with everything we have!"

There were nods and murmurs of confirmation around the table and Amelia smiled. The only exception was Xellos, who snickered. "Oh yes, because you all did so well against Llygad-san, didn't you?"

Amelia's smile dropped and she stiffened. Everyone else glared at the Mazoku, but he ignored them, placing all his focus on the princess.

"Remember that, Amelia-san. You would be dead right now if I had not stepped in. But the next time my Beastmaster-sama decides you should die, I guarantee I will not be able to save you. We cannot remove this bothersome link we share unless we get rid of Dova-san, and the only way we can do that is to have her exorcised from _you_."

The princess looked away from Xellos, unable to meet the penetrating gaze he had when his eyes were open. Even without seeing his face, she could feel him looking at her, as though he could force the ghost to posses her with the power of his stare.

"Amelia-san, if we do this right, we can have this ghost exorcised and out of your body before she can react." He continued, his voice sympathetic, but firm. "I assure you this is the best way."

Amelia turned away from the Mazoku, reaching down to pick her chair up off the floor. She calmly sat back down again, placing her hands in her lap, her expression unreadable. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely audible in the quiet restaurant.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Great!" Lina shouted, startling everyone around the table. "Now that that part is settled, we're all set. We can have the ghost placed in Amelia's body, I can throw an _Assha Dist_ at her, and we'll be free of the ghost and the marks! Easy!"

Filia's eyes went wide as she stared at the sorceress. "Lina-san! We're trying to exorcise her, not _annihilate_ her!"

"What are you talking about? _Assha Dist_ only affects the dead." Lina waved her hand dismissively. "Amelia will be fine."

Filia's eye twitched in annoyance. "I was referring to the _ghost_ , Lina-san. We want to help her pass on. The _Assha Dist_ would do anything _but._ "

Lina folded her arms in front of her stubbornly, glaring at the dragon priestess. "Well it's a more interesting spell than your silly exorcisms." ' _And it's the only spell I can use in this situation.'_

Filia ignored the sorceress. "Once the ghost is inside of Amelia, I will cast _Holy Bless_ or _Megido Flare_ to send her on. Then we'll be free of her and the marks."

Xellos clapped his hands together with excitement. "Sounds easy enough. Let's get started then, shall we?"

Gourry let out a loud yawn. "Can't we wait till morning? I'm still exhausted from the fight. If we are going to be doing exercises with a ghost, I'd like to rest first."

"Yeah, Gourry's right…mostly," Lina arched her back, suddenly realizing how tired she was too. "It's not like this is an emergency. We can all get a good night's sleep and exorcise the ghost tomorrow."

"Lina-san," Xellos was feeling a little more urgent. "Don't forget that Dova-san can hear everything I hear. She knows what we are planning, and the sooner we remove her, the less chance we'll have of her thwarting us."

"Oh, come on, Xellos," Lina shrugged away his concerns. "She's just a human ghost. What could she possibly do?"

"This is the ghost who found a way to keep the marks on Amelia and me, and she found a way to enter Amelia's dreams to speak with her. Believe me, I have learned my lesson when it comes to underestimating her."

Lina sighed at the Mazoku. "If you guys time things just right, she'll have absolutely no opportunity to do anything. And I'm beat, so I'm going back to the inn. Come on, Gourry."

Lina stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Gourry looked at the others, shrugged, and ran to catch up to her.

The others watched the couple leave quietly. Amelia sighed, standing up to leave as well. "I guess we wait till morning, then."

Xellos grinned. "Why? We don't need those two. Only you, Filia-san, and myself are needed for this."

Zelgadis looked over at the Mazoku, his arms crossed in front of him. "We really could use the rest, Xellos. Are you sure you're not just overly anxious to be rid of your conscience?"

Xellos turned to the chimera with a somber expression. "I'll admit, I'm more than ready to be normal again. But what I say is true. Dova has gained 100 years of knowledge from me, and she should not be taken lightly."

Filia spoke up, standing as she did so. "I'm willing. Amelia-san? You up to it?"

"I guess so." She stood up again. "I'd prefer to get it over with, anyway."

"Let's get going, then!" Xellos backed up a step to allow Amelia to walk past him towards the door.

Zelgadis stood as well to follow, and the action didn't escape Filia's notice. "Zelgadis-san, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

The chimera snorted. "You think I'd let Xellos take Amelia anywhere without me? I'm going!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 15: The Chink in his Armor  
> Ever notice that when the protagonists reveal their strategy, it never goes the way they planned?


	15. The Chink In His Armor

The sun was starting to set beyond the western horizon, but Burto still had a small number of people walking its streets. Xellos had no desire to cast a Mazoku spell in the middle of a crowd, so they chose to go to Filia's room at the inn.

As it turned out, her "room" wasn't really a room at all but a small, separate hut lined up with several others that all opened to the outside. It was still large enough for all four of them to file in comfortably, even with a large bed on the left and a dresser to the right.

"So, Xellos," Filia snickered as she stepped aside to let the Mazoku enter the hut and close the door. "About this new conscience you have…"

"Filia," Zelgadis spoke up. He had wandered over to the dresser to lean against it, arms and legs crossed in front of him. "Don't forget what Lina told you. If you are hoping to make him feel guilty about anything, forget it."

"Oh I doubt he can justify what he did to my kind 1,000 years ago." She watched Xellos carefully. "You nearly slaughtered an entire clan of dragons, Xellos. What possible justification could you have for that?"

Xellos lifted up his head as though to think, then grinned. "Filia-san, I was merely a soldier performing my military duty. And I performed it quite well, I might add."

Filia's smirk dropped and she growled at the Mazoku.

Zelgadis sighed. "I told you."

Amelia stood over by the window on the opposite side of the room, gazing outside. The window was open, letting the cool but pleasant night air into the room. She was unusually quiet, deep in her thoughts.

"Amelia-san?" Xellos addressed the princess. "Are you ready?'

She turned her body enough to look at Xellos, but did not respond to him. Her eyes instead went to Zelgadis, who grimaced in response, before nodding in reassurance. "Don't worry, Amelia. I'm here to protect you."

Amelia smiled, before turning to fully face Xellos. She took a deep breath, setting her jaw resolutely. "I'm ready, Xellos-san. Let's get this over with."

Xellos smiled, and turned to the dragon priestess. "Filia-san, once I start my spell, I want you to start casting yours. But don't release the spell till I tell you to do so."

Filia nodded, and Xellos turned to the chimera. "Zelgadis-san, be ready to catch her."

Xellos brought his staff in front of him, bowing his head slightly to concentrate. Before he could transfer the ghost girl to Amelia, he had to find where she was hiding inside of his astral body.

The last time he did this, Dova had proven she didn't want to be found, and it took him quite a while to locate the tiny little prick of light in his vast darkness. But this time, he found her waiting, almost seeking _him_ out. He couldn't be certain if it was because she had accepted her fate, or…

Xellos raised his hand, and five red lights appeared on his fingertips. The red beams shot towards Amelia, forming a red pentagram at her feet. Filia, seeing the pentagram, began chanting the exorcism spell.

The princess looked down with apprehension. Amelia had had no memory of the spell Xellos had cast on her, but the moment she saw the pentagram, it all came back to her.

She clenched her fists in fearful anger, glaring at the Mazoku. "I swear, Xellos-san, if I wake up kissing you again I'm going to…"

Xellos snapped his fingers and Amelia slumped to the floor. Or at least she would have, had Zelgadis not rushed forward to catch her limp body in his arms.

"Now, Filia-san," Xellos said as he turned to the dragon. "Release the spell."

Filia would have done just that, if not for Amelia's final words. "Kiss?" She stared wide-eyed at Xellos. "What's this about a kiss?"

"Filia-san, do it now."

"You kissed her?"

"Filia!" It was Zelgadis who yelled this time, forcefully. He could feel Amelia, or at least her form, stirring in his arms. She was waking up already.

The dragon priestess suddenly realized the urgency of the situation, but in her shock she had lost the spell she had prepared, and was forced to cast again. _"You pitiful, twisted creature, not of this world…"_

Amelia's eyes shot open suddenly, and she looked up at Zelgadis with bright green eyes. They were Dova's eyes, not Amelia's, and the chimera narrowed his gaze at her, tightening his grip around her shoulders to keep her from getting up. The exorcism Filia was casting was only moments away from completion.

But there was a spell Dova knew that had a much faster cast time. Amelia's possessed body raised a hand into the air as much as Zelgadis' grip would allow, closing her eyes tightly as she did so.

" _Lighting_!"

A bright, white light suddenly filled the room, as if a piece of the sun had suddenly plopped down in its center. Zelgadis and Filia cried out in pain, their hands instantly going to their eyes.

Zelgadis could see nothing but white, even with his eyes tightly shut and one hand covering them. That one hand had been holding Dova, however, and he could now feel her shove him away forcefully.

Xellos frowned. He simply watched as Amelia, now possessed by the ghost of Dova, shoved an incapacitated Zelgadis away and ran towards the window, climbing out to escape.

"Oh dear," he thought with a sigh, covering his head casually with a gloved hand. He then vanished, leaving Filia and Zelgadis trying desperately to blink the glare from their eyes.

Dova ran from the hut as fast as she could, stumbling only once. She had to find a place to hide, before…

There was an all too familiar "whoosh" sound, and she stopped in her tracks as Xellos appeared in front of her. He raised his index finger, shaking it at her in a scolding manner.

"Shame on you, Dova-san. We're just trying to send you to a better place. Why do you want to run from us?"

She glared at him, clenching her fists. "Why do you think? I told you my work isn't done yet!"

"Your work?" He opened one eye to look at her inquisitively. "You mean keeping this mark on my hand?"

"As long as you have that mark, you can't be evil." She stood up, straight and with purpose. "I will do whatever it takes to keep you from being evil again."

Xellos glanced behind her, noticing that Filia had come to the window, still rubbing her eyes. He smiled as he turned back to the ghost. "But what about Amelia-san? Are you really so willing to put her in danger yet again?"

"Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. Amelia-san understands that."

"Really? Is that why she was so willing to let me cast that spell on her?"

Dova narrowed her eyes at Xellos her body shaking with anger. "Get…get out of my way, Xellos-san, or else!"

She brought her hands in front of her, chanting a spell under her breath.

" _Oh light, gather within me, and pierce the abysmal darkness apart."_

It was one Xellos was all too familiar with, and he grinned. "Silly ghost, you know that won't work on me."

Dova was about to throw her spell at the Mazoku, when she heard a familiar chant behind her: an exorcism chant. Panicked, Dova spun around, and directed her spell instead at the dragon priestess. " _Elmekia Lance_!"

Filia had barely started casting when she saw the stream of white light come straight for her. She had no time to react. Xellos frowned, instantly porting himself to stand directly in front of the dragon priestess, and he raised up a barrier to protect them.

He'd done it many times before, and this spell was an easy one for him to deflect. Or, at least, normally it was. To the Mazoku's shock, the _Elmekia Lance_ went through his barrier as though it weren't even there, and struck him painfully in his abdomen.

Xellos gasped, crumbling to his knees and dropping his staff to hold his stomach with both hands. Filia stared at him in shock, her exorcism spell completely forgotten.

"Xellos! What happened?" She kneeled down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Filia-san, you are letting her get away." Xellos looked up, just in time to see a head of black hair disappear around a hut and out of sight.

"That shouldn't have hurt you, Xellos."

"I'm fine, Filia-san." Xellos stood up, picking up his staff with one hand but still holding his stomach with the other. He stared in the direction where Dova had disappeared, frowning. "But now we have a dangerous ghost running around in Ameli-san's body."

"Which way did she go?" Filia and Xellos turned around to see Zelgadis joining them. The chimera was still rubbing one eye from the _Lighting_ spell.

The Mazoku pointed towards the huts where he saw her last. Zelgadis ran in that direction, but before running around the hut, he looked back to speak.

"Xellos, if anything happens to Amelia, I'm holding you responsible."

Xellos grimaced. "Yes, I'm sure you will."

Filia stood and ran to catch up to Zelgadis. Xellos stayed behind, however, watching them both disappear around the huts. There really wasn't much he could do to help Amelia, save restrain her, and he could barely do that.

He could still feel the pain in his abdomen, and his brow creased with worry. It was as he had feared, ever since Amelia struck him with a _Vis-Fan Rank_ a couple of weeks ago. Besides giving him a damn conscience, the Soul Link created another, additional problem.

Like the secret passage in a heavily fortified castle, the link he shared with Amelia allowed her to get past his normal defenses, striking his Astral body directly. The small hole in his stomach was evidence enough of that.

Xellos stood up straight, analyzing the situation. The wound he received was painful, but minor, and he knew that the Elmekia Lance was the most powerful spell Dova knew that could hurt him. Even if she cast a hundred of them, the damage would be nominal at best. So, really, he had little to worry about with Dova possessing Amelia's body.

That is, unless she….

* * *

"Amelia-san, wake up!"

A familiar voice was calling her name, but her mind was still in a fog. She tried to moan, but she heard no sound come from her mouth.

"Amelia-san! Wake up!"

The voice was female, and was becoming more urgent. It sounded so very familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before. Amelia slowly began to open her eyes, or at least she thought she was opening her eyes. The physical sensation wasn't there, but something was coming into view with a blur.

When she finally could see, she saw what looked like some sort of barn. It must be one in Burto, as she could see that the walls were rounded, with triangular stalls circling around it. A bay horse was sitting in one, looking at her curiously.

" _Where am I?'_ She tried to say it, but her mouth would not obey. Strangely, she realized she was already standing, even though she had just woken up.

"Oh good, you are finally awake."

Amelia panicked as she came to the realize why the voice sounded so familiar. The voice that was waking her up was _hers_. She tried to look around to get a feel for what was going on, but her body refused to obey her commands. _"What is going on? Who are you?"_

"I thought you'd understand, Amelia-san." She could feel her lips move, forming and speaking the words, but someone else was controlling them. "I thought you would help me. Instead, you fight against me. How could you?"

" _Help you?"_ Amelia's mind was reeling, but she quickly put her thoughts together, remembering Xellos and the possession ceremony. _"Dova-san? Is that you? What are you doing?"_

"I'm trying to do the right thing, isn't that obvious?" Amelia felt her own fists clench in anger, her face scrunch up in irritation and disappointment. "I chose you over Zelgadis-san because I thought you'd help me."

" _Zelgadis-san?"_

"I could only keep the mark on one of you when Nullin's shield was destroyed. I thought that your love of justice and good would make you a better candidate than the chimera. Now I wonder if I made the wrong decision."

" _Dova-san_ ," Amelia's mind was clear again, and her shrine maiden training kicked in. " _You died 100 years ago. You no longer belong in this world, and if you leave my body now I can help you move on. With the light of purification, I can send you to…"_

"…Enter the light and rejoin my loved ones who have moved on before me, blah, blah, blah," the ghost rolled Amelia's eyes in exasperation. "I know the speech. I was a shrine maiden too, remember?"

" _Dova-san, it may be a 'speech,' but it's all true! You can't stay in this world, you have to move on!"_

"I can't, Amelia-san! If I leave, the marks will disappear, and Xellos-san will be free to be evil again. I can't let that happen. Countless lives are depending on me, and I will not fail them."

" _You can't stop him._ " Amelia tried to move her arms to reaffirm her words, but quickly remembered that was not possible. _"He's willing to have me killed to rid himself of his conscience. I almost died the last time."_

"Xellos-san found a way to save you, Amelia-san. I have no doubt he will do it again."

" _But how long do you think he'll be able to do that?"_

"Stop being so selfish!" Amelia heard herself shout in anger. "This is bigger than you or me, Amelia-san!"

She shook her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself. The simple gestures were very unnerving for Amelia when she wasn't the one doing them. "It's no use. I didn't wake you up to argue with you, Amelia-san. I have more important business to take care of." She spun around, revealing the barn entrance.

" _What business?"_

"You may be right, you know. It's clear both you and Xellos-san are determined to get rid of me. I'm afraid if I can't prevent him from becoming evil again, I'm going to have to destroy him."

" _Destroy him? How? He's the most powerful Mazoku servant there is!"_

"By myself, I don't have the power to destroy him, Amelia-san. That is why I woke you up. As long as you are awake, I can more easily use your power and spells as well as my own."

" _What_?" She had never heard of such a thing. _"No, I won't allow it!"_

"You have no choice in the matter, Amelia-san. I have the stronger will and control this body, so I control your power as well."

" _Even if that is true, you must know I don't have the power to kill Xellos-san. I can't even touch him with my magic."_

Amelia felt her lips turn up in a smirk. "You mean you didn't notice? No," she bowed her head knowingly. "I suppose you were too heartbroken over your chimera to see it."

" _Huh?"_

She ran out of the barn, rushing down an unfamiliar street. "Watch and learn, Amelia-san."

* * *

Xellos walked out of Burto, approaching the surrounding forests to the north. It was late enough that the crowds had thinned out, but it didn't make finding a single girl any easier. Not that he actually wanted to find her at this point. It was better that Filia or even Zelgadis catch her than him.

The wound in his abdomen was quickly regenerating. It would have disappeared by now if he had passed into the Astral Plane, but his ability to do so was limited as long as he maintained the spell keeping Dova _out_ of his body. She was continually struggling to get back in, and the last couple of times he teleported she had made an attempt, but he hadn't spent long enough there for her to succeed.

It was strange, really. He knew she couldn't possibly enjoy her experience inside his Mazoku body, but perhaps after 100 years she had become used to it. That or she was just _that_ determined to keep him marked.

"Xellos-san."

' _Well, speak of the devil.'_ Xellos turned around, and, sure enough, a green-eyed Amelia stared back at him. She stood between him and the trees of the forest, and her look was grim and confrontational.

Her hateful appearance didn't stop the Mazoku from smiling back. "Why hello there, Dova-san. I'm afraid you just missed Filia-san, but we can go look for her together if you'd like."

"I wouldn't be here if she was, and you know it." She set her jaw, lifting her head defiantly as she looked back at the smiling Mazoku.

"What a shame. I would think you'd want to meet the woman you've been impersonating all this time."

She closed her eyes, folding her arms in front of her. "Xellos-san, I'm here to give you two options. Either you put me back inside your body, or I destroy you."

Xellos raised an eyebrow at the ghost girl, cocking his head to the side. "I'm not sure I like those choices."

"Tough, those are the only ones I'm giving you."

Xellos chuckled to himself. "Dova-san, you should know that even with the Soul Link vulnerability you've discovered, you don't have nearly enough power to destroy me."

She smirked right back. "I know. Amelia said the same thing, after I woke her up."

Xellos smile dropped and he opened his eyes slightly to look at her. "You woke her up?"

"Yes, I did, so make your choice, Xellos-san."

Dova brought her hands up in front of her and waited, prepared to cast a spell at any moment.

Xellos' only response was to smile wider, addressing the other witness in this conversation. "Hello, Amelia-san! I know things aren't going well right now, but I hope you are feeling comfortable in there!"

If the real Amelia could sweat-drop, she would have.

Xellos opened his eyes slightly, giving the ghost a vaguely menacing smirk. "Dova-san, I must say I'm impressed with your resourcefulness. You do a host like me proud."

"Don't you dare take credit for this!" she growled. "My only interest is in saving the world from the likes of you! Put me back or I attack, Xellos-san!"

"Well," he shrugged, letting out a long sigh. "I just don't think I'm ready for a deeper relationship right now, Dova-san. Can't we just be friends? It's not you, of course, it's me, you understand."

Dova shook with anger. "You're not going to find me funny after this, Xellos-san!"

She brought her hands up again, and Amelia felt Dova probing her memories and mind, searching for one particular spell.

The real Amelia, still trapped inside, was powerless to stop her. _"Dova-san, no! Stop!"_

The ghost ignored her, and the moment she found the spell she wanted, she began, " _Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and everlasting infinite_ _Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite_!"

Xellos frowned, his voice surprisingly nonchalant. "Oh, this is going to hurt."

" _Rah Tilt!"_

* * *

"This is getting us nowhere, Zelgadis-san." Filia looked around the slowly darkening and emptying street. Most of the citizens had turned in, and all that was left now were a few stragglers and a sorcerer who was lighting street lamps.

"I thought I heard her voice coming from this direction," Zelgadis said. "But it seems she's gone again."

"She's very slippery for a ghost. What do you think that girl is up to, anyw…"

They were interrupted by an explosive blast, and a bright light directly behind them in the direction of the forest. They both turned in time to see a large pillar of bluish-white light peeking over the huts of the village.

"That's a _Rah Tilt_." Zelgadis watched in awe as the bright light faded in the distance.

'Xellos!" Filia leaped up in a panic, running in the direction of the explosion.

* * *

Xellos collapsed to the ground, laying on his side. His insides felt like they had been shredded, and red blood trickled from his mouth. He rolled over onto his stomach, using his staff to slowly pick himself up again.

The _Rah Tilt_ was the most powerful astral spell a human could cast, capable of destroying a normal Mazoku in one hit. Xellos was grateful he was no normal Mazoku, but the _spell_ still took its toll.

He stood up again, leaning heavily on his staff, and gazed back at the ghost girl. Despite his obvious pain, he smiled at her defiantly. "Not bad, Dova-san. Although it will take quite a few more of those to destroy me."

"I have plenty more where that came from!" She brought her hands in front of her again, palms facing each other, but not touching. "And I won't stop casting them until you put me back."

"Girls like you shouldn't be so forceful, Dova-san. It's very stalker-ish."

"Stop that!" She put her hands down, fists clenched as she yelled at the Mazoku. "This has nothing to do with that! My only wish is to keep you from being evil!"

"Is that why you kissed me back in the forest, Dova- _chan_?"

Xellos couldn't help but smile smugly when an obvious blush formed on her cheeks. "That…that meant nothing! I just wanted to know what it was like. I only…" She stopped, clenching her jaw as she tried to regain control. "I have no time for this! Put me back now, Xellos-san, or I'm doing it again." She started chanting the spell.

"You want to kiss me again? Well, I suppose I might be willing if you ask nicely enou…"

" _Rah Tilt!"_

Xellos' eyes shot open and he gritted his teeth, but it still didn't prepare him for the painful blue-white light that engulfed his form yet again. He suppressed the urge to scream as his astral body was torn apart, like multiple slashing claws striking him all at once.

When the light vanished he collapsed to the ground, curled up into a fetal position. His clothing was torn and his hair disheveled, and as he tried to pick himself back up again, he coughed, spitting up a glob of blood onto the ground.

" _Dova-san, stop it!"_ Amelia cried out as she watched, horrified. _"He's hurt! He's bleeding!"_

Dova rolled her eyes. "He's just keeping up his human form to gain sympathy, Amelia-san. I'm sure you wouldn't pity him at all if he was bleeding miasma like he should."

Xellos looked up at Dova, that same defiant grin on his face despite the trickle of red blood flowing down the corner of his mouth. "Oh, you are speaking to Amelia-san are you?" His voice was strained, but he still somehow managed to sit up. "I hope she's enjoying the show."

"She's no concern of yours, Xellos-san." She brought her hands up, threatening to cast again.

"Dova-san," Xellos sighed in mild annoyance, as though speaking to a child. "It's not very honorable of you to be attacking me like this, knowing I can't fight back."

"I don't care!" She screamed in rage. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from being evil."

"Many would consider what you are doing _now_ to be evil."

"This doesn't count!" She cried out, but her voice cracked with doubt. "You're a Mazoku!"

"Amelia is not a Mazoku," he shot back. "Of course, the ends justify the means, right?" He raised an eye inquisitively, chuckling. "You shrine maidens can be such hypocrites sometimes."

Dova snarled and began casting yet again. Xellos gritted his teeth, wondering just how many more of these he could take before he would be forced to put her back in his body.

" _Rah Tilt_!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the pain, but it didn't come this time.

" _Defense_!"

He knew that voice, and Xellos looked up to see Filia standing in front of him, her arm raised into the air. The _Rah Tilt_ that was meant for him deflected to all sides from her magical barrier.

Dova's eyes went wide with fear as she saw the dragon priestess. Zelgadis stayed near one of the huts of Burto, avoiding the _Rah Tilt_ , but looking on.

As soon as the _Rah Tilt_ faded, Filia dropped her barrier, bringing her hands in front of her for a spell. _"You pitiful, twisted creature, not of this world. By the light of purity that I possess, I bid thee be gone to the nexus of our two…._ Hey! Get back here _!"_

Dova-san ran into the forest, putting as many trees between her and Filia as she possibly could. She had almost vanished completely, before Zelgadis took up persuit with a snarl.  
"Oh no! You're not getting away again!"

Filia was about to make chase as well, but she hesitated, looking back at Xellos. The Mazoku was still sitting on the ground, his head bowed so she could only see his purple, disheveled hair.

She felt her heart clench in sympathy, but she still managed to glare at him. "Outstanding plan, Xellos," she said sarcastically. "It's working out wonderfully isn't it?"

He glanced up at her, glowering back angrily despite the pain. "I'd like to see you come up with something better, Filia-san."

She kneeled down next to him, putting his arm around her shoulders and helping him stand up. "I never thought I'd have to do this again"

"Neither did I," he answered, accepting her help willingly.

"But I can't very well leave you behind again now can I." With her dragon strength, she was able to lift him easily, even to the point of picking his feet up off the ground. "Come on, Xellos, we've got a ghost to catch."

* * *

Dova was running as fast as Amelia's legs could carry her, weaving in and out of the trees, but the chimera was quickly catching up. She had no choice but to spin around and try to stop him.

" _No, Dova-san! Don't hurt him!"_ Amelia cried out, but she was ignored.

" _Freeze Arrow_!" A blue energy javelin flew from her hands towards the chimera. Zelgadis quickly ducked behind a tree, letting the _Freeze Arrow_ strike in instead and turning it into ice. In an instant he was out from behind the tree and running after her again.

Dova gritted her teeth in frustration as she looked behind her, finding Zelgadis still closing in. She saw the chimera reach into his tunic, pull out a dagger, and throw it in her direction.

She recognized the _Shadow Snap_ spell and reacted quickly. She spun around, casting a quick _Lighting_ spell to remove her shadow before the dagger could hit it, then turned again to run. Unfortunately, the very action of spinning twice in quick succession caused her to lose her balance, and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

Zelgadis slowed as he approached, preparing to reach down and take ahold of her. He didn't get a chance however, as Dova turned to face him, holding her hands in front of her with another spell. " _Bom_ _Di Wind_!"

The chimera was struck by a gust of wind, strong enough to pick him up off of the ground and throw him backwards into the branches of a nearby tree. He fell to the ground with a thud, but was otherwise unhurt.

Dova stood up to run, but fell down the moment her right foot hit the ground. A shock of pain caused her to cry out and stumble again.

" _Stop already, Dova-san!"_ Amelia complained, feeling the pain as well. " _You twisted my ankle!"_

She turned herself to face Zelgadis again, who was already standing up. She brought her hands in front of her, once again delving into Amelia's mind to try and take another spell.

" _Oh no you don't!"_ Amelia cried out, doing everything she possibly could to reassert her will. " _I'm not letting you hurt Zelgadis-san."_

Dova reached in to grab the spell, but was cut off before she could get the last part of the chant. She growled in frustration and tried again, but again Amelia thwarted her somehow.

"Stop it, Amelia-san! I have to do this! I can't let them…"

She was cut off by a stone hand clasping her mouth, silencing her. Zelgadis wrapped his other arm around her waist, pinning her arms against her.

"Finally!" He said as he held Amelia's struggling form firmly in his grasp. "You can be a real pain, Dova."

The ghost tried to scream and curse, but she couldn't speak with Zelgadis' hand covering her mouth.

"Filia!" Zelgadis cried out into the forest. "Filia, over here! I caught her."

It wasn't long at all before the dragon priestess, with Xellos's arm slung over her shoulder, emerged from the forest. Filia put Xellos down near a tree, letting the weakened Mazoku lean back against it, before stepping forward.

Dova struggled harder against Zelgadis' grasp, but he answered by simply tightening his grip. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she was helpless.

Filia narrowed her eyes at the ghost girl. "You've caused way too much trouble for my liking, Dova-san. I'm afraid I'm done being nice to you."

She raised her hands up to cast a spell. It was not, however, the exorcism spell she had tried casting before.

" _Horrible creature, formed of darkness and death…"_ A strip of light, like a white, horizontal blade, formed between Filia's outstretched hands. Zelgadis blinked in surprise, and Dova's eyes went wide as she recognized the spell.

" _Let the light of my soul reign destruction upon your cursed form."_

Xellos grinned wickedly. It would seem Filia was even more irate then he realized.

" _Assha Dist!"_

Several blades of light shot out of Filia's hand. Dova tried to scream, but Zelgadis held her fast. She could see the blades coming closer, faster, but the chimera was far stronger than she was and there was no way she could avoid the destructive spell. So she fled the only way she possibly could.

She abandoned Amelia's body.

Zelgadis saw a bright ball of light suddenly leave Amelia, and her form went limp in his arms. The blades of light from Filia's spell struck him, and he brought his hands up to his face to deflect them. The gesture was unnecessary, however, as the spell had no effect on him whatsoever. The _Assha Dist_ destroyed ghosts and weaker demons, but was harmless to humans.

Filia stoically put her hands down as she finished casting her spell, her eyes turning to her left where the light had appeared. The bright ball glided away from the princess, hovering in front of the trees between the two couples.

The three of them watched as the light warped and quickly took the shape of a translucent, blonde-haired girl floating just a few feet above the ground. Her eyes were closed but she opened them now, revealing familiar emerald-green eyes.

Xellos stood up, walking forward stiffly as he addressed the ghost. "Hello, Dova-san. Finally gave up?"

Zelgadis was staring so hard that he didn't even notice Amelia moving until she reached up and grabbed his arm. He looked down, straight into the familiar blue eyes of the princess. He immediately helped her sit up next to him, before they both turned their gazes back to the ghost.

Dova clenched her fists in anger and glared at Filia. "How could you! Why did you try to destroy me! I was only trying to do the right thing. Why can't you all understand that?" Transparent tears welled up in her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

Filia glared back at the ghost. "You were starting to get on my nerves."

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia spoke again, and the chimera turned to her. "Look!"

Amelia raised up her left hand, and Zelgadis took hold of it, gazing down at her finger. The mark was _gone_.

Dova collapsed to her knees, still sobbing. The movement seemed strange, considering she was floating a foot off the ground. "I've failed!" She cried. "I tried so hard, but everything went wrong! I tried so _hard_ …"

Filia's stern expression softened, and she stepped up to the ghost girl. "You…you didn't fail, Dova-san. It just wasn't meant to be. Leaving Amelia-san was the right thing to do."

The ghost girl shook her head frantically. "No, no, no. Now that I've left them, I've failed. And now, Xellos-san is…he can…"

"Ah, it feels so wonderful!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Xellos. He had his right hand raised up, his glove removed, holding it in a ray of moonlight that shone through the trees. His hand was completely clean, devoid of the mark just like Amelia's.

He was smiling widely, glancing around at everyone. "It's finally done, isn't it Amelia-san! The mark is gone, and my conscience is now officially and forever clear."

He brought his hand down in front of his face, turning it back and forth to further admire his now immaculate fingers, before placing his glove back on. Despite his obvious joy, the others couldn't help but get a feeling of dread. He certainly had cause to be happy, but for some reason, he seemed just a little _too_ happy.

Dova was staring at him now, wide-eyed with terror.

"You know what?" he said, clapping his hands together cheerfully. "I feel like celebrating." He raised an index finger as he addressed everyone, grinning like a school boy. "And what better way to celebrate this joyous occasion, then to commit my first, truly evil act since being tainted by those unpleasant marks!"

He turned to the ghost girl, and his smile dropped instantly. He opened his eyes, and evil glow flashing in them as he glared angrily at her. The little spirit stared back, trembling.

"Dova-san, I am going to make you _pay_ for the hell you put me through."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 16: A Final Gift  
> Evil Xellos is back! Admit it, you missed him.
> 
> Author's Note: Despite how frequently it is used, I could not find a chant for the Elmekia Lance spell, so I used a slight deviation of the Elmekia Flame chant instead (Episode 22 of Season 1.) I simply changed "smash" to "pierce."
> 
> I was unable to find a chant to go with Assha Dist so the one you see in this chapter was created by me.  
> Only one more chapter to go!


	16. A Final Gift

"No, Xellos!" Filia rushed forward, putting herself between the ghost and the Mazoku, her arms outstretched protectively. "Don't do it. Leave her alone!"

Xellos turned his menacing gaze towards Filia, giving her a look that would have turned anyone else's blood to ice. She stood her ground, however, as he slowly walked up until he was standing mere inches from her.

"You were ready to destroy her just moments ago, Filia-san. Why are you so interested in protecting her now?"

Filia was slightly shorter than the Mazoku when she was in human form, so she had to crane her neck up to look at him. But she set her jaw stubbornly, regardless. "I targeted Zelgadis-san with that _Assha Dist_ , not Amelia-san. I had no intention of destroying the ghost."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow with depraved amusement. "Well that's unfortunate. Because I _do_ intend to destroy her, after I punish her."

Amelia pushed away from Zelgadis and rushed over to Dova, limping as she did so from her twisted ankle. "Dova-san," she said to the frightened ghost as she plopped down next to her. "Stay calm, I'm going to exorcise you while we…"

"Oh, I don't think so, Amelia-san."

Xellos raised a hand, and black streams of energy emerged from his fingertips. They shot out, swerving to avoid Filia in every direction, and headed straight towards the ghost. Amelia instinctively fell back to avoid the streams, and heard Dova scream as her spirit body was encased in a transparent skin of black, smoky energy.

Filia turned to look behind her and saw the ghost girl quivering inside the casing, whimpering pitifully. "Xellos, stop it!" Filia turned back to the Mazoku. "That girl has lived inside of your body for over 100 years! Isn't that punishment enough?"

Xellos shrugged. "No, not really." He sneered, and his lavender-eyes glowed with magical energy. Filia could hear Dova scream again from behind her, but she dared not look.

Amelia looked over at Xellos in horror, before turning her attention back to Dova. The ghost was still floating a foot above the ground, but she was curled up in a fetal position, face down, her hands clasped in front of her as though in desperate prayer. Her face was scrunched up in pain and fear.

"So dark. So dark! So dark! So dark!" She repeated it over and over again, and Amelia reached out a hand to try and comfort her. But the miasma surrounding the ghost had a strong aura of evil, and she recoiled.

"Xellos-san!" The princess screamed. "Stop this! She doesn't deserve this!"

The Mazoku glanced over at Amelia, still smiling. "I'm afraid I have to disagree with you, Amelia-san."

"Xellos," Filia placed both hands on his chest. "You owe me a favor, remember? I'm ready to collect on it now."

The Mazoku looked back at the dragon priestess, and his expression went from menacing to confused. "Excuse me?"

"You owe me," she repeated firmly. "Don't forget about destroying Val-kun's bookcase a few weeks ago. I think you owe me a favor for doing something like that."

"Filia-san," he chuckled with amusement. "It was _you_ who destroyed that bookcase."

The dragon priestess was undeterred, and she narrowed her eyes at the Mazoku as she tried a different approach. "Amelia-san and I removed that ghost for you. We are the ones who cured you of the marks, so you owe us big time!"

"That's right!" Amelia shouted back. She started to stand up, but her injured ankle protested and she decided against it. "After everything you put me through, and everything we went through to help you, you owe us!"

The Mazoku stood up a little straighter, glancing over at Amelia, and then smiled down at Filia who still had her hands on his chest. He finally shrugged, "Alright then, I guess I owe you." He asked his next question even knowing what her answer would be "So, what is it you two want from me?"

"Release Dova-san and let us exorcise her!"

Xellos sighed in mock disappointment. "I just agreed to do a favor for you, and this is what you ask of me? Do you have any idea the kind of reward you are throwing away here?"

"That is what we want, Xellos."

The Mazoku opened his eyes again, looking down at the dragon. He leaned forward, forcing Filia to bend her arms to keep from being pushed back. She held her ground, however, even when she found his face mere inches from her own.

He brought an index finger up between them, so close she could feel the warmth from it on her nose. "Filia-san, you know what I am and what I can do. " His voice was just a whisper, but the words rang loudly in her ears. "I have the power to give you almost _anything_ you want. I know the location of manuscripts that could increase your holy power or teach you the truth about the ancient dragons. I know the location of ancient artifacts of great power. And you know I have enough power to destroy almost _anyone_ who threatens you."

He chuckled. "And yet, here you want to throw all of that away on a ghost? An insignificant little parasite that has caused us nothing but trouble since she made her presence known? Really, Filia-san? Amelia-san? You want to waste it on _her_?"

"Don't try and tempt us with baubles and texts, Xellos-san." Amelia tried to sound unafraid, despite the slight tremor in her voice. "Release Dova-san and we'll consider your debt paid."

"Okay."

His answer and actions were so quick they caught Filia off guard, and she almost stumbled forward when he suddenly stood up straight, turning around and walking away from her casually.

With a flick of his hand, the shadowy blanket around Dova vanished, and the ghost gasped in surprise. Amelia tried to reach out to comfort her, but her hand went straight through her.

Xellos walked over to a nearby tree, sitting down at its base as he watched Filia join Amelia by the ghost girl. He could see from the corner of his eye as Zelgadis, of all people, started to chuckle at him.

"Funny how not even the mighty Xellos can resist the charm of a determined shrine maiden."

Xellos cracked one eye open to look at the chimera curiously, and with slight annoyance. "I beg your pardon, Zelgadis-san, but I was contending with _two_ determined shrine maidens, if you hadn't noticed."

"Dova-san," Filia said as she kneeled down next to the ghost. Dova was sobbing openly in her hands, like a traumatized child. "Don't be afraid. You're going to be alright now."

The ghost removed her hands from her face, looking up at Filia. She sniffled, wiping her eyes of the tears. "You're going to exorcise me now, aren't you?"

Amelia smiled sweetly at the ghost girl. "Do you want to be exorcised, Dova-san? Do you want to be free?"

The ghost looked up at Amelia, her green-eyes strangely penetrating. "I don't know. Will I be punished when I get there? I've heard stories…" She trailed off, a slight quiver in her voice.

Amelia took on a somber expression. "What you did was wrong, Dova-san, I hope you realize that now. I can understand why you did it, but you caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for us."

Dova bowed her head submissively and answered faintly, "I know."

"Although, personally," Filia intervened. "I think you've been punished enough. And I'm sure you have loved ones who are waiting for you to join them, so I don't think you have anything to fear from the afterlife"

Dova half-smiled, turning away from them to stare into the distance. "I haven't seen my Daddy in so long. It would be nice to be with him again."

Xellos continued to watch from afar, shaking his head. He found it amusing that so many humans, particularly priests and shrine maidens, had this image of a wonderful afterlife. Granted, if humans truly understood the Sea of Chaos and what lay beyond, there would probably be far more ghosts refusing to be exorcised. Maybe it was best that they kept their illusions.

"Alright then," Filia said as she looked over at the princess. "Amelia, are you ready to cast the..."

"Wait!"

Amelia and Filia both looked up at the ghost, who had brought her hand up anxiously. "Wait, please, I…" She pursed her lips, turning her hand into a gentle fist and pressing it against her chin nervously.

"What is it Dova-san?" Amelia asked.

The girl took a deep breath, more as a habitual gesture considering she didn't need to breath, and let it out with a sigh. "I just…I want to make it up to you two…for saving me from Xellos."

The ghost dared to steal a quick glance at the Mazoku, who simply smiled and waved at her cheerfully. She shivered and looked away quickly.

Amelia looked at her in confusion. "I'm not sure what you could possibly give us as a reward, Dova-san. You're a ghost."

Dova glanced at the princess sadly. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can give you, Amelia-san, except my eternal gratitude…but…" she turned to look at the dragon priestess. "I know of something I can give to you, Filia-san."

"Huh?" The dragon priestess looked at her confused. _'What kind of reward could a ghost possibly give me?'_

Dova waved her hand at Filia, gesturing to come closer. The dragon priestess did so, and the ghost leaned over, whispering into her ear.

They stayed like that for several moments, but because Filia's back was to him, Xellos couldn't see her expression. It didn't take him long to suddenly realize what was going on, and he bolted upright. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

The two of them ignored the Mazoku. Dova finally pulled away, smiling sweetly at Filia. "Okay, I'm ready to go now."

Filia stood up, stepping aside to give Amelia some space. The dragon priestess stole a quick glance over at Xellos, who was staring at her with unbridled curiously, and she looked away quickly. A little too quickly.

Amelia clasped her hands in front of her as if in prayer, and began chanting the spell. " _You who are eternally lost, wandering in a place where you do not belong: May the light of purification separate you from your ill-fated existence. Go now to the world beyond our world."_

A bright red circle appeared beneath the ghost girl, and shimmering lights floated around her. Dova looked up from the soft, hallowed light, and smiled. "Goodbye, everyone! And thank you!"

" _Holy Bless_."

A stream of light shot up from the center of the circle, causing Dova's translucent hair and clothing to billow around her. But the ghost girl was not afraid; in fact she seemed more at peace than she had ever been before. She looked straight at Amelia, before letting her eyes squeeze shut in an adorable grin. Her smile could still be seen even as she slowly lifted into the air and vanished from sight.

The night air became quiet again, interrupted only by the occasional sound of a cricket or wind-rustled leaves. Zelgadis stood up from his sitting position, walking over to stand beside Amelia.

The princess looked back at him and she smiled. "I'm so glad that's over."

"Yeah," he smiled back as he helped her to stand on one foot, supporting her. "Me too."

"Ugh," Filia put her hands to her back, stretching. "I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted. I say we head back to the inn and get some sleep."

The dragon priestess turned to head back to town, but found a certain Mazoku suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely blocking her way.

"Hey, Filia-san?" His hands were behind his back, and he was smiling innocently at her. "Now that Dova-san is gone, you want to tell me what she whispered to you?"

She glared back at him. "I have nothing to say to you." She side-stepped him and began walking back to town. Much to her annoyance, Xellos continued to follow.

"Oh come on now, Filia-san. What did she say?"

"I don't have to tell you."

"It was something about me, wasn't it?"

"I never said that."

"Oh, come on Filia-san!"

"Get away from me, you creep!"

Zelgadis and Amelia watched them walk out of sight, before turning to each other questioningly. A simultaneous shrug was the only exchange they made before Zelgadis wrapped his arm around Amelia and helped her back into town.

* * *

"You guys did _what_?"

Everyone around the breakfast table cringed at the red-headed sorceress, who was standing and leaning on the table, glaring furiously at Filia, Zelgadis, and Amelia. Gourry was scarfing down his breakfast, seemingly oblivious to the tension. Of course, it was more likely he was just happy Lina's wrath was directed at _others_ for a change, giving him a chance some food without a smackdown.

The inn, which was really just the main lobby where they could get their complimentary breakfast, was empty. They suspected most of the guests were still asleep. Even the waiter had escaped to a back room, supposedly to get some additional work done. It left them completely alone.

"I thought we were going to wait until morning to exorcise that ghost. How dare you guys leave me out of it!"

"Lina-san," Filia spoke up nervously. "There wasn't anything you or Gourry could have done. And we needed to get rid of her as soon as possible."

"You could have waited!" Lina sat back down again, crossing her arms in front of her angrily. "Geez, I can't believe you guys went and removed those marks without me. After everything I went through to help! This is unforgivable!"

"Not everything has to be about you, Lina," Zelgadis said quietly.

He wasn't quiet enough. "What was that you said, Zel?"

Her voice was menacing and the normally cool chimera stared back at her terrified, raising his hands up defensively. "Uh, nothing, nothing at all."

"I'm sorry, Lina-san," Amelia spoke up. "But at least now we don't have to worry about someone coming to kill me."

"For leaving me out of the grand finale, Amelia," Lina glared at the princess, who sweat-dropped in response. "I'm considering killing you myself!"

"Good morning, my friends!" Everyone turned towards the door of the inn, where Xellos had just entered. "It's a beautiful day outside. I'm assuming you are all getting ready to head out."

"Well you sure are chipper, Xellos," Lina said as she turned to the Mazoku. "Although, I guess I can't blame you."

Xellos walked over to Filia-san, leaning over the dragon priestess's shoulder. Filia narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but said nothing. "Good morning, Filia-san. I trust you slept well."

She picked up the cup of tea she had in front of her before speaking. "I slept just fine, thank you." Her eye twitched with anger as she sipped her tea.

Lina could only stare curiously at Xellos' sudden and surprising interest in Filia.

"So, Filia-san. Are you ready to tell me what the ghost girl told you last night?"

She growled under her breath. "Don't you have some assignment from your Dark Lord to take care of? I'd think your orders would be backlogged considerably."

"I have a little time to spare," he answered, still as cheerfully. "Enough time to find out what Dova-san told you. So what is it, Filia-san?"

Filia smirked to herself, putting her tea down. She then raised her hand up, one index finger over her mouth. "It's a secret!"

"Ah, don't be like that!" Xellos whined. "I know she told you something about me. I think I have every right to know what it is."

"Absolutely not, Xellos-san. She told me in confidence. I'm not telling you anything."

He opened one eye, smirking down at her mischievously. "You know I'm going to continue following you until you tell me."

She bowed her head in annoyance. "Oh, I think that ghost girl put a curse on me," she whimpered.

Filia stood up, and Xellos finally backed away to give her room. She put a few coins on the table to pay for her tea.

"Well, I'm going to head home now, everyone. I need to get back to Val-kun and my shop."

Amelia jumped up from her seat, running around the table and giving the dragon priestess a big, friendly hug. "We'll miss you, Filia-san! I'll come visit you in the outerworld someday, promise!"

Filia smiled, returning the hug as well. "I look forward to that, Amelia-san."

The dragon-priestess nodded at everyone, before heading to the door. Much to her frustration, Xellos followed. He even went so far as to open the door for her, and received a glare as a "thank you," before Filia stepped through.

"I guess we should head out, too," Zelgadis said as he stood up from the table. "Amelia and I are long overdue to get back to Seyruun."

"Ah," Lina looked at them with disappointment. "I was hoping we could do more traveling together. We all had such great times, after all."

Amelia smiled cheerfully at the sorceress, "You can always come with us to Seyruun, Lina-san!"

Lina thought about it for a minute, but then shook her head. "Nah, I got other places I need to explore. I was just in Seyruun before running into you guys, remember?"

Amelia didn't hide her disappointment, and she leaned down and gave Lina a hug. "I'll miss you, Lina-san."

Lina looked mildly uncomfortable, but she returned the hug, patting Amelia on the back. "Yeah, yeah, I hate these sappy goodbyes. You two just get out of here already!"

Zelgadis put a hand on Amelia's shoulder, and the princess released Lina. Before she went, however, she rushed over to Gourry, who was still eating, and gave the surprised warrior a hug as well.

"Goodbye, Gourry-san!"

Gourry swallowed his food, putting his fork and knife down he could hug her back. "Take care, Amelia! Don't forget to write, okay?"

Amelia let him go, and Zelgadis finally took her hand, leading her out of the inn. "See you two around."

Lina and Gourry watched as the couple left the inn. The two of them now sat in the empty eatery alone, and Lina let out a long sigh. "Ugh, Amelia can get so horribly sentimental sometimes."

Gourry grinned, "I think it's sweet of her, Lina. She's just showing how much she cares."

Lina wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn't. Her frowned as she looked at the door, and she turned to her companion with a somber expression. Gourry was no longer stuffing his face, but was instead staring back.

Lina furrowed her brow, and the warrior looked confused, and a bit apprehensive. He took a quick glance around the restaurant, and realized for the first time they were alone.

Gourry gulped as he looked back at Lina. Seems his little reprieve from her wrath may finally be over. "Something wrong, Lina?"

Lina continued to stare at him for a few more moments, not saying a word. Then, without warning, she pounced on Gourry, running her hands through his pockets frantically. "Where is it, Gourry? I know you have it hidden here somewhere."

"Aah!" Gourry cried out, trying to push the sorceress away. "Lina, what are you doing? Gah! That tickles," he laughed suddenly. "Lina, stop that!"

"Hah! Found it!"

Lina pulled away, holding up her prize triumphantly. Gourry took a moment to regain his composure before looking to see what it was she took from him. What he saw caught him completely by surprise. She was holding up the diamond engagement ring.

Lina stared at it for a moment, making one quick, mischievous glance at Gourry, before casually slipping it onto her finger. She turned her hand to look at it, and smiled in satisfaction. "That's better! Let's go, Gourry."

She stood up, casually walking out; but Gourry could only sit there, dumbfounded. Lina got all the way to the door before realizing he wasn't following her, and she turned back in annoyance. "Gourry, you coming?"

The warrior blinked twice, before a huge smile lit up his face and he stood up from the table, rushing over to her. "Lina! You…does this mean you…?"

"Well, duh, you idiot," she said as she held up her hand with the ring on it. "Of course I'll marry you. Now are you coming or what?"

Gourry suddenly lifted Lina up in a bone-crushing hug. "I can't believe it! Do you mean it, Lina?"

"Gourry…I…can't…breath!" She said between gasps of air. The warrior put Lina down, but kept his hands on her shoulders, looking happier than she'd seen him in a long time.

"This is wonderful, Lina. And we're right on the border to Zefielia, too. We could go visit your family, and start the wedding plans and…"

"Woa, woa, _woa_ ," Lina held up her hands to interrupt Gourry, and he stopped his rambling. "Gourry, I said I'd marry you. I didn't say I'd do it right away. Geez."

"Huh?" He looked at her in confusion again.

"There are still plenty of places out there to explore, so I have every intention of making this a very long engagement. I am far from ready to settle down."

Gourry relaxed a bit, looking mildly perplexed, and even a little disappointed, but he smiled back at her as he always did. "Alright, Lina. Whatever you want. But don't wait too long, okay?"

Lina gazed up at him, giving him an uncharacteristically caring smile. "I promise Gourry. It won't be too long."

She stood up on her tip toes, pulling the warrior down and giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. Then, just as quickly, she spun on her heels and headed out of the inn.

* * *

Zelgadis and Amelia stepped out of Burto and headed west, towards the capital of Seyruun. The warmth of the morning sun was soothing to the traveling couple, and Amelia stretched her arms over her head, smiling.

"I'm so glad we are finally going home," she said as she brought her arms down. She looked over at her traveling companion, who was smiling back.

"We can only hope we don't get stopped this time. I'd like to make it to Seyruun without another life-threatening disaster."

"Ugh," Amelia made a face, "You had to remind me. I sent a letter to Daddy telling him everything, but I'm sure he must be worried sick. Best to get there quickly."

Zelgadis smirked to himself. "Well, let's not dawdle this time, Amelia. I say we head straight home so we can get there as soon as possible."

The chimera turned to walk away again, but hesitated. Something caught his eye and he turned to look at the princess. She hadn't moved at all, but stood staring at him, her expression now soft and misty-eyed.

"A…Amelia?"

She smiled at him, blinking a tear away. "You…you called Seyruun home again."

Zelgadis could only give her a baffled look. "Well, yes. It's not the first time I've done that, Amelia."

"I know," she said, shaking her head as though tossing the sentimentality aside. "It's just…I don't know, I guess it didn't sink in before. I'd dreamed for a long time that you might see my home as yours."

Zelgadis opened his mouth to say something, then shut it with a defeated sigh. He smiled as he shook his head in disbelief. "You can be so strange sometimes."

Amelia grinned back. "You know you wouldn't have me any other way, Zelgadis-san."

"No, I suppose not."

Zelgadis reached his hand out to her, and Amelia rushed forward, taking it into her own. He held her hand for several moments, looking into her eyes and his expression softened. Amelia looked back in concern as Zelgadis lifted up her hand, gazing down at it reverently. She looked as well, watching as his stony fingers tenderly held hers, his thumb caressing her ring finger where the mark used to be.

"I couldn't help but think back," Zelgadis said quietly, "To the time before we found out Xellos was marked. I'll be honest, Amelia, I…really liked having a link with you. I wasn't sure if you missed it, but I know I did."

Amelia blinked in surprise. "Zelgadis-san, you never said anything before."

The chimera shrugged, bringing her hand down to their sides so he could look at her again. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning before."

Amelia glared at him, "Hmph, not worth mentioning? That's so typical of you."

Zelgadis blanched, "Excuse m…"

Before he could finish Amelia practically leaped forward, planting a quick kiss on his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled away from him, grinning mischievously. "I wouldn't have you any other way, Zelgadis-san."

* * *

Xellos was in the outerworld, watching the Physical Plane from his comfortable spot in the Astral Plane. He was outside of the pottery shop that Filia owned, watching the goings-on inside.

Filia had just come home. He had watched her convert from her dragon form to human outside of town, and walk the rest of the way. She was greeted at her door by Jillas, the fox-beastman, who ran up to welcome her right away. Another beastman, Gravos, greeted her as well. Gravos looked more like a half-troll, half-reptile, and he brought with him, holding his tiny hand, a young Val.

Xellos grinned. The little dragon hatchling had taken the form of a small human boy with shoulder-length turquoise hair, and he gazed up at his mother proudly. Val was now indistinguishable from a normal human toddler, just as long as you ignored the long feathery wings on his back. Oh, and the equally feathery tail.

Filia knelt in front of her adopted son to bring herself to his eye level, clapping her hands proudly. She then gathered him up in a tight, loving hug, singing her praises to the smiling boy. The whole scene was so touching it made Xellos feel a tad bit queasy even from the Astral Plane. He continued to watch anyway, as Filia pulled out the bag of sweets she had purchased in another town to give to a very happy little dragon.

Every time Xellos had had some time to himself, he'd find Filia on her flight back and harass her about Dova's secret. Filia had stubbornly refused to tell him anything, so he had continued to pursue her. He had followed her into towns and cities that she visited along the way; he even tried to ride on her back as she flew in her dragon form, which infuriated her, much to his delight. He never knew she could tailspin so violently.

In truth, Xellos had a very good idea of what Dova had told her, and it only annoyed him somewhat. Trying to drive the secret out of Filia was just an excuse to continue to pester her as often as he wanted. And he intended to pester her on a regular basis for as long as he possibly could.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> Author's Notes: The Holy Bless chant was created by me, based off of rough translations I found on KanzakaDex.
> 
> Big thanks to Koochikoo and Ichiban for Beta Reading my story and helping me with story and ideas. Also a big thanks to my friend and roommate, Mojosam, for his input and for putting up with my moodiness while writing. Love ya all.


End file.
